By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, have warned the US and Gaza plan architects that the effort to end the war is at risk due to mediators’ perceived leniency towards Hamas. These warnings stem from Hamas’ post-ceasefire actions, such as refusing to disarm and engaging in violence. Saudi Arabia has signaled it will reduce its involvement and skip reconstruction efforts without decisive US action and a change in the mediators’ approach. The Emiratis have taken a similar stance. The Saudis are expected to meet with Trump, and the outcome of this meeting may be significant.
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Trump’s Gaza plan on the verge of collapse, warns Saudi Arabia and UAE, and honestly, the writing was pretty much on the wall from the get-go. Let’s face it, the whole thing felt less like a carefully crafted peace initiative and more like a potential victory lap for someone who’s often more concerned with the optics than the actual substance. We’re talking about a situation where complex, centuries-old conflicts were apparently supposed to be “solved” by someone who, let’s be honest, might struggle to remember the states he won in the 2016 election. It’s a bit hard to fathom, isn’t it?
It wasn’t exactly surprising that the plan hinged on Hamas agreeing to things they’ve consistently resisted. The core demands from the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia, that Hamas disarm and step down from governance, were a major stumbling block. It’s easy to see how this puts the whole idea on shaky ground from the start, especially considering the deeply rooted issues that keep the two sides at odds.
The United States isn’t exactly in a position to force any specific outcome, and putting boots on the ground is certainly not the answer, and most likely Israel doesn’t even want to go back beyond the agreed-upon line. So, where does this leave us? Perhaps a prolonged period of stalemate, maybe with some progress on aid and rebuilding efforts behind that yellow line. But the core issues remain unresolved.
And look, while we’re on the subject of who’s to blame, let’s not pretend this is solely Trump’s fault. The Arab world itself has a role to play. It’s almost comical to see everyone pointing fingers when the underlying issues – including Hamas’s reluctance to relinquish power – are so evident. It’s hard to believe Hamas actually agreed to return all the living hostages.
It’s a shame that the decision-makers within these organizations have fallen victim to poor leadership, and if there were Arab countries publicly speaking out to Hamas and calling for a cease fire, and a surrender of weapons, this could actually be a different world. But let’s be real, the likely outcome was always predictable. It was a concept, a plan with potentially a very short shelf life.
The suspicion that this was about something other than actual peace is tough to ignore. Rumors of turning Gaza into prime real estate were floating around, and let’s face it, if Trump is involved, you expect gold-plated, collapsing infrastructure. The expectation that Trump wanted a Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement is hardly shocking, and it shows the motivation.
The underlying fact remains: neither side is willing to budge on some crucial points. Hamas isn’t giving up its weapons, and Israel can’t accept Hamas ruling with those weapons. It’s a classic stalemate, and regardless of who’s at the helm, this situation was always going to be incredibly difficult to resolve.
And here we are, watching this “plan” unravel faster than a poorly constructed building, and it really didn’t last very long. It’s the kind of thing that has you wondering if it ever really took off in the first place.