Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has described the 20-point peace plan unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the Gaza war as not a genuine offer but a form of threat.
Dr Mahathir said, because of this, he expects Hamas to reject the proposal, which was drafted jointly by the United States and Israel.
“The 20-point plan to stop Israel’s mass killings of Palestinians is not an offer to Hamas. It is clearly a threat. I would not be surprised if Hamas rejects it. The massacre will continue, even more intensely, and with U.S. support,” he said in a statement on social media today.
On Monday, Trump announced the plan during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
The plan includes an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the establishment of a transitional government led by an international body.
However, Dr Mahathir argued that Trump cannot be seen as a peacemaker despite presenting the plan.
“Trump uses threats of high tariffs, economic sanctions, and various demands to force parties to stop fighting, but he has failed. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues, and so does the massacre by Israel.
“In this plan, acceptance must come within four days, or the massacres will not stop—they will get worse. How the U.S. and Israel expect Hamas to accept such surrender as a solution is incomprehensible,” he added.
Dr Mahathir also said the plan is likely acceptable to Israel since it was drafted together with Netanyahu, who seeks to take over Gaza.
“Like Netanyahu, Trump wants to take control of Gaza. This means the Palestinian people must surrender. They have already lost more than 60,000 lives to Israeli bombings,” he said.
