- by foxnews
- 07 Apr 2025
"It would be better if they dealt with terrorism in Judea and Samaria and condemn Hamas," Ambassador Danon told Fox News Digital exclusively. Judea and Samaria are commonly referred to as the West Bank outside of Israel.
The PA's plan, which was submitted to the U.N. Security Council for review, is broken up into three phases and will cost approximately $3.5 billion, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. It calls for an "international commitment to end the Israeli siege" in the Gaza Strip and "longer-term changes."
"The end of Israel's occupation of the State of Palestine and the achievement of the two-state solution, as outlined in numerous U.N. resolutions as well as the Arab Peace Initiative, is the only [way] forward for the State of Palestine and the State of Israel to live side by side in peace and security," the PA's plan reads.
Israel's Mission to the U.N. condemned the plan in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. Israel sees the plan presented by the PA as a way to "circumvent basic security requirements, including disarming Hamas."
In its plan, the PA puts the onus of ensuring the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza on Israel, calling it the "occupying power." However, in 2005, Israel unilaterally pulled out of the Gaza Strip, and Hamas took over after a 2006 election.
"The Palestinian Authority, which has not yet condemned the atrocities of October 7, does not have the moral standing and executive ability to take part in these issues," Ambassador Danon told Fox News Digital. "It would have been better if they had focused on stopping the rotten culture of incitement and demanded a stop to the ugly terrorism that has reared its head in Judea and Samaria."
Hamas is not mentioned in the PA's plan, which aligns with the two factions' history of friction.
In February 2024, Russia attempted to launch peace talks between the PA and Hamas. Hamas urged Russia in October 2024 to push PA President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to a unity government for post-war Gaza, but so far nothing has come from those efforts.
While Israel's Mission to the U.N. condemned the PA's plan, it also admitted that the "chance that it will be overwhelmingly accepted remains an open question, especially in light of the Trump administration's new policy on Gaza."
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited D.C. earlier this month, President Trump said the U.S. would "take over" Gaza and relocate the Palestinians living there.
When recently asked about the president's plan, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ruled out the idea of putting American troops on the ground in Gaza. Instead, she said that President Trump would "strike a deal with our partners in the region."
Before he returned to the Oval Office, President Trump warned Hamas that there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages were not returned. Since then, several hostages have been released.
Saturday will see three more Israeli hostages released, including American Sagui Dekel Chen.
The "Dead Sea Scrolls" exhibit, announced at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, features ancient Jewish manuscripts, plus the rarely seen Ten Commandments Scroll.
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