Gaza Peace Plan: Donald Trump’s Blusterous Verbosity and Jordanian King’s Dejected Response

Countries would reject being asked to "enforce" peace in Gaza if deployed under the Trump ceasefire plan, King Abdullah of Jordan has told the BBC.

"What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it's peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that," said King Abdullah in an exclusive interview for BBC Panorama.

"Peacekeeping is that you're sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we're running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that's not a situation that any country would like to get involved in."

The King's comments reflect concern from the US and other nations about being dragged into a continuing conflict between Hamas and Israel, or Hamas and other Palestinian groups. According to the UN, peace enforcement uses coercive measures including military force, while peacekeeping operates with the consent of the parties to a conflict and troops only use force in self-defence and defence of their mandate.

Under US President Trump's 20-point peace plan, Arab states and international partners are to commit stabilization forces that "will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field." Hamas is to disarm and give up political control of the territory.

However Hamas has not yet disarmed and has mobilized thousands of fighters to reassert its grip on parts of the territory, Israel has carried out air strikes and other Palestinian armed groups are reportedly operating in parts of Gaza under Israeli control.

King Abdullah said he would not send Jordanian forces into Gaza because his country was "too close politically" to the situation. More than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian descent, and over decades, the country has taken in 2.3 million Palestinian refugees fleeing earlier wars with Israel - the largest number in the region.

In a post on social media US President Donald Trump said, “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” naming Russia as second and China as “a distant third” but catching up. Donald Trump orders the Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to begin testing US nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, heralding a potentially major shift in decades of US policy at a time of growing tensions between the world’s nuclear-armed superpowers, reports CNN.

Trump made the announcement moments before his highly anticipated meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, for what had been billed as make-or-break talks intended to restore stability after almost a year of trade and economic turmoil.

In a post on social media Trump said, “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” naming Russia as second and China as “a distant third” but catching up.

“Because of other countries' testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump said.

CNN has reached out to the White House and Department of Defense for comment.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to a nuclear weapons test, or a test of a nuclear-capable weapons system. Not since the 1990s has one of the world’s three major military powers conducted a nuclear weapons test, with China having conducted its last known test in 1996.

The US last conducted a nuclear test in 1992, when it began a voluntary moratorium on such explosive testing. It’s also not clear how quickly it could do so again, with an August report from the Congressional Research Service saying it would take 24 to 36 months for the US to test a nuclear weapon after the president gives the order.

 “Because of other countries' testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump said.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to a nuclear weapons test, or a test of a nuclear-capable weapons system. Not since the 1990s has one of the world’s three major military powers conducted a nuclear weapons test, with China having conducted its last known test in 1996.

Subhia al-Bouz, from Nablus in the occupied West Bank, has described the pain after Israel handed over hundreds of bodies as part of the Gaza ceasefire – but not the remains of her brother.

Al-Bouz’s brother, Nasser, disappeared in 1989. In 2012, they were told his body was among dozens to be released by Israel – only to find out the man in the casket was not him.

“There is no feeling in the world more painful than this. Sometimes I find myself envying those who can proudly say their brother is a martyr. I envy them because they can visit his grave and feel a sense of peace – knowing he is remembered and honoured,” she told Al Jazeera. “But in our case, it feels that this person is nothing, his worth has been forgotten, and no one knows what has become of him, despite the fact he was one of the prominent leaders of the first Intifada. It is really difficult and painful.”

That’s according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, which has documented dozens of incidents of Israeli settler and military violence against Palestinians during the olive harvest.

“Dozens of harvesters were injured, some requiring medical treatment. Cars were set on fire, equipment was destroyed, herds were harmed, and harvests were stolen. Many reported experiencing significant psychological distress due to the assaults,” the group said.

“This is not ‘isolated violence’ but part of a state-backed campaign, carried out with full impunity, to dispossess Palestinians of their land,” BTselem stressed.

“These attacks target Palestinian livelihood and their very right to the land, and are integral to Israel’s ongoing efforts to ethnically cleanse the West Bank.”

Israeli forces raided the town of Qabatiya and the village of Anza, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reported.

According to local sources, troops stormed the town of Qabatiya with several military vehicles and deployed infantry units in the town’s streets, firing sound bombs.

Soldiers also entered the village of Anza and raided a house as vehicles patrolled neighbourhoods.
Israeli forces have intensified raids on Jenin’s towns and villages, detaining and interrogating Palestinian residents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shared photos of a visit to the so-called Civil-Military Coordination Centre in Kiryat Gat, where US troops are overseeing Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.

“We want to ensure that in the end, the goal that President Trump and I agreed on – of disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza – will be achieved,” Netanyahu said, according to one of the posts his office shared on social media.

Netanyahu’s tour of the site comes just hours after the Israeli military launched a series of attacks across Gaza that killed more than 100 Palestinians, including dozens of children.

Israel and its top ally, the US, have since said the Gaza ceasefire remains in place despite those deadly bombings.

Dr Mohammad Mustafa spoke to Al Jazeera’s Centre Stage to talk about the horrific realities he witnessed during his volunteer postings in Gaza.

The Australian emergency physician of Palestinian heritage witnessed firsthand Israel’s war on Gaza, and spoke of the immense pressure of making life-and-death decisions and what recognition of Palestinian statehood really means at this stage.

Palestinians across the occupied West Bank have faced a wave of Israeli settler violence as they try to reach their olive groves.

According to the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA), about 86 harvest-related settler attacks that caused casualties or property damage have been recorded since the beginning of October. That includes attacks on farmers, theft of crops, and vandalism of olive trees.

Israeli settlers targeted Palestinian vehicles in the village of Deir Nidham, northwest of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.

The Wafa news agency, citing local sources, reported settlers threw stones at vehicles at the entrance to the village, resulting in damage to a number of cars and shattered windows.

At the same time, settlers cut down hundreds of ancient olive trees in the village of Qaryut, south of Nablus. According to local farmers, they were shocked to find their olive trees destroyed after obtaining a two-day access permit to their lands, Wafa said.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is sending the message that the ceasefire is back on and they are committed to making sure that it sticks.

A US source told Al Jazeera they do believe that Hamas was responsible for the attack that left that Israeli soldier dead. They said they believe Israel’s response was limited and targeted, and it has stopped now. They said the ceasefire is back in effect.


Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury is a
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