What Carney Said About Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan

News Analysis

Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to bring an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Trump presented his 20-point plan on Sept. 29 at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan has received the support of Netanyahu and the Palestinian Authority, which rules over the West Bank, as well as several Arab and Muslim regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey.

“Canada welcomes President Trump’s historic new Middle East peace plan, and we urge all parties to help it realise its full potential,” Carney said in a Sept. 29 statement posted on social media.

Carney added that the “critical next step” for the plan to launch involves Hamas immediately releasing all hostages. Hamas kidnapped 251 people when it conducted raids inside Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Nearly 50 hostages remain in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, with around half suspected to be deceased.

According to the plan, all hostages must be released 72 hours after Israel publicly accepts the agreement. Subsequently, Israel will release 250 prisoners serving life sentences, along with 1,700 Gazans who were detained after the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel will also return the remains of 15 deceased Gazans in exchange for the remains of every Israeli hostage released.

The plan also calls Hamas to disarm, and says its members who “commit to peaceful existence” will be provided amnesty and safe passage to receiving countries.

Hamas has yet to respond to the peace plan, and Trump said on Sept. 30 he’s giving the group a deadline of “three to four days.” If the response is negative, Trump has given his full backing to Israel to continue its military operations seeking to eliminate Hamas.

Another terrorist group operating in the Gaza Strip and an ally of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has rejected the peace offering, saying it’s a “recipe for blowing up the region.”

Carney said if the plan goes through, Canada will help provide sustained and large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The Carney government had increased its criticism of Israel during the summer over the distribution of aid, and organized air drops with the Canadian military.

“We will continue our close coordination with international partners to build a just and lasting peace that builds on today’s progress, with a sovereign, democratic, and viable State of Palestine building its future in peace and security with the State of Israel,” said Carney.

Carney recently recognized Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly last week. This broke with a longstanding Canadian position of seeking a negotiated two-state solution between Israel and Palestinians.

Carney said the move is necessary because of diminished peace prospects due to Oct. 7, encroaching Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Trump and Netanyahu criticized the move, also made by other G7 countries like France and the United Kingdom, saying it rewarded Hamas for its terrorist activities.

Nonetheless, Trump’s peace plan has received widespread support, including from France and the UK. The Kremlin has also expressed its support, saying it wants to see the plan implemented to bring peace to the Middle East.

Before the plan was released, Carney said it was “very much supported” by Gulf States, Egypt, Jordan, and Indonesia. Carney hosted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto last week and said the two discussed the matter.

“I don’t want to overstate it, but a coming together of a number of very influential countries, ourselves included …. [increases] the possibility of success,” Carney said on Sept. 27 during a press conference in London discussing his visit to the United Kingdom. “The next few weeks could be decisive.”

Other key points of Trump’s peace plan include the creation of a technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee to temporarily administer the Gaza Strip, which would be overseen by Trump himself. There would also be a Trump-led economic plan to rebuild Gaza.

An Arab and international force would also be created to maintain security in the region. Carney said last week he would consider involving Canada in such efforts.

Relatedly, Israel would pledge not to annex the Gaza Strip and would pull back its troops according to different milestones related to progress made by the international force in stabilization the territory.

Israel had pulled out of Gaza in 2005, relenting control to Palestinians. The following year Hamas won the elections and subsequently forced out its political rivals through a brief civil war. Recurrent violent conflicts between Israel and Hamas have been ongoing ever since.

Reuters contributed to this report.