WASHINGTON, October 1. /TASS/. Israel's strike against the Hamas leadership in Doha on September 9, which caused deep outrage in Qatar and other Arab countries, proved to be the starting point that accelerated the development and publication of a new US plan to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip, Axios reported, citing White House officials.
According to the news outlet, the day before the strike, US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and American leader's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a meeting with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to discuss the situation in Gaza. Witkoff and Kushner were taken by surprise by the strike and believed that Dermer had deceived them the previous day by withholding information about the planned operation. Both American negotiators "were furious." However, after observing the harsh, unified reaction of Arab countries condemning Israel and the growth of protest activity in Israel itself, Witkoff and other White House officials decided that the crisis surrounding Qatar could be a chance to achieve peace in Gaza.
"It became clear, particularly to Steve, that this rallying cry that seemed negative at first could be turned into something positive," one of the presidential office advisors told the news outlet. With this idea, Witkoff and Kushner approached President Donald Trump, received his approval, and began working quickly on a new settlement plan. "The failed Doha attack changed the regional dynamics and opened the door for a real discussion about how to end the war in Gaza," another Axios source in the White House said.
Preparation of plan
Witkoff’s team based its proposal on the United States' repeatedly voiced offer of a ceasefire in exchange for the release of all Israeli hostages. The team then added a preliminary plan for Gaza's post-war structure, developed by Kushner and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, to the proposal. This draft formed the foundation of the 20-point plan published by the White House on September 29.
The most active phase of work on the plan took place last week. A few days before the opening of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Qatar approached Trump with a proposal to hold a meeting with the US and eight Arab and Muslim countries to discuss Israel's attack on Doha. At the September 23 meeting, Trump heard a wave of criticism directed at Israel and then asked Witkoff to present the plan's draft. Trump received positive feedback from the Arab leaders. On September 24, representatives from eight states met separately with Witkoff, approved a preliminary version of the plan, and sent it to Israel.
Trump's ultimatum to Israel
According to Axios, on September 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met twice with Witkoff and Kushner to discuss the plan. Throughout the previous weekend, American and Israeli diplomatic teams worked intensively to refine it. On September 27, rumors circulated within Trump's team that Netanyahu would delay the process and ultimately reject the American plan. This prompted the US president to address Netanyahu directly and issue an ultimatum.
"Take it or leave it. And leave it means we walk away from you," Trump told the Israeli prime minister, according to a source. In total, Trump and Netanyahu had a total of five telephone conversations over the weekend. Ultimately, Israel managed to make a number of amendments to the document's text, but the US rejected many of the proposals. During the negotiations, Israel formulated an apology to Qatar, which was intended to promote a new settlement plan. "Netanyahu knew what he had to do. He didn't object. Give him credit: when he realized he had to do it, he did it," an Axios source in the White House said.
After that, the revised text was sent to eight Arab and Muslim countries. They were unhappy with how many amendments Israel had made, especially those regarding the withdrawal of troops from Gaza. The Arab states added their own amendments, most of which were rejected by the US After all the changes were made, the US officially presented the plan. The news outlet's source emphasized that the White House allows for minor changes to the plan but that the fundamentally new American proposal does not allow for any revisions.