Is U.S. policy legitimizing Hamas? That’s the question to ask nearly three months after the October cease-fire, as the terrorists show no sign of disarming. Instead Hamas negotiates with White House envoys and regional powers as it settles in for the long haul.
Hamas has made a mockery of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, but the Administration dignifies Hamas as a continuing negotiating partner. Egypt works with Hamas on the list of Palestinian technocrats Cairo will propose to govern Gaza.
Whoever ultimately agrees to send peacekeepers will first be sure to reach an understanding with Hamas to avoid conflict — by respecting the terrorist group’s boundaries.
It’s worth recalling some terms of Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
“Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.” So far, no progress. “Within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting this agreement, all hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned.” Months later, Hamas still holds one dead hostage.
“Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza. . . . There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weapons permanently beyond use.” Hamas governs half of Gaza and has surrendered neither a single tunnel nor a single weapon since the cease-fire.
In the face of these violations, the Trump Administration pressures Israel to sit on its hands. When Hamas attacks or kills Israeli troops, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner urge Israel to keep its responses minimal.
When Hamas misses those targets, the old argument that any substantial Israeli reply is “disproportional” rears its head—as if Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, changed nothing. When the Israelis occasionally strike senior Hamas terrorists, including those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre, the White House scolds Jerusalem for threatening the peace.
Every day Hamas fails to disarm and surrender power is a cease-fire violation. Accepting it legitimizes Hamas’s presence, as does treating the killing of a terrorist the same as killing a soldier. Mr. Trump’s comments throughout the war suggest he understands that there can be no peace so long as Hamas is in power—de jure or de facto. But his envoys seem willing to press ahead and trust that economic development alone will save Gaza.
This has been tried and failed. Whatever gets built is knocked down in the next war that Hamas starts before hiding behind or underneath its civilian population. The region knows this well, and allies and enemies will judge U.S. resolve accordingly.
Will the Trump envoys be remembered as the team that saved the hostages or the team that saved Hamas?
The verdict is still out.
