Trump shares Hillary Clinton’s op-ed backing his Gaza peace plan

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) shared an opinion piece by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which was published in June, where she defended his Gaza peace plan, saying there was no alternative framework to address the ongoing crisis.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared excerpts from Clinton’s article from The Financial Times: “The world may not like Trump’s Gaza plan — but there is no alternative: If even I, an implacable opponent of the president, can accept this as the best option, then surely others can too?”

Clinton’s piece was published in June before Trump’s more recent claims of a finalised deal. Trump released his 20-point peace plan in September 2025 while the 15-point Gaza peace plan was introduced in July this year.

Clinton had argued that despite concerns regarding the Gaza peace plan, the international community should engage with it as the only available framework with the potential to move the concerned parties towards implementation.

“There is no alternative framework waiting in the wings. No rival coalition is quietly preparing a more viable proposal,” Clinton wrote, adding that the “20-point plan” remained “the only framework backed by sufficient leverage, political engagement and potential resources”.

Earlier, Trump stated that an agreement has been reached for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, alongside a phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces as the process advances. Describing the July 31st development as a “historic” step towards peace and security, the US president noted that the deal would be executed in stages.

“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases. As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilisation Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbours,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He further emphasised that the accord marks a “major milestone” in executing his 20-point plan for Gaza, adding that the enclave would ultimately be administered by a “new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people”.

However, on Sunday, Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan and will not withdraw its forces from the enclave until Hamas is “genuinely” disarmed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced. “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said, referring to a proposal endorsed in late July by Hamas, according to Israeli media.

Netanyahu REJECTS US’ Gaza proposal

‘Trump and his team think they can get Hamas to DISARM and DEMILITARIZE Gaza’

‘They sent us a draft, we did not agree to it’

Israel will NOT WITHDRAW from Gaza until ‘Hamas COMPLETELY DISARMED’ pic.twitter.com/wGn4EfJMMa

— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) August 4, 2026

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu emphasised that the Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens.”

Facing pressure from far-right coalition partners urging a fresh cabinet vote to abandon the peace plan, Netanyahu, who is locked in a competitive electoral race according to opinion polls, noted that Israel remains in discussions with Washington on the issue. “They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us, and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters”, he stated.

Trump’s 15-point framework outlines a phased strategy aimed at terminating the Gaza conflict, disarming armed factions, withdrawing Israeli troops, and transitioning governance of the strip to a Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

Under the roadmap, heavy weaponry, arms depots, military sites, and tunnels would be placed under the committee’s control, while an international stabilisation force would be deployed to separate Israeli troops from Palestinian-administered areas.

Israeli forces would then withdraw in stages, paving the way for reconstruction and a longer-term political process towards Palestinian self-determination. (ANI)