Hamas set conditions for the mediators and the Palestinian Authority for handing over weapons from its operatives. As published in Israel Hayom, diplomatic sources have estimated that Hamas would be ready to hand over its weapons within several months, but now it has become clear that the demands it sets in return will not be easy – even for the Palestinian Authority, which has rejected.
Hamas' wish list includes: stationing its officials in Gaza's incoming administration; integrating hundreds of its security force into the Palestinian security apparatus assigned to govern the Strip; preserving status as a legitimate political faction eligible to run in Palestinian Authority elections; and securing protection or safe passage for the organization's top brass against Israeli elimination campaigns both in and beyond the territory. Moreover, Hamas insists a select contingent of its fighters retain weaponry for safeguarding senior leadership in the Strip – indefinitely, pending their perception of security.
Yet these prerequisites were not delivered as formal, comprehensive Hamas guarantees, but surfaced as a negotiating option – an informal trial balloon. Intelligence agencies assess that Hamas and other terrorist groups boasts tens of thousands of small arms, hundreds of anti-tank rocket systems, mortars, alongside a small arsenal of short- and medium-range missile launchers and rockets.
An Arab source embedded in the talks indicates the Palestinian Authority has balked at these terms, though Turkey-led mediator discussions have stressed that "senior Hamas officials' legitimate security concerns warrant serious consideration, and their appetite to retain modest quantities of weapons for self-defense merits respect." The Americans have not formally weighed in, and talks are projected to resume next week between the American negotiating team – headed by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – and Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' lead negotiator.
A top-ranking security official contends the Hamas question in Gaza remains in limbo, contingent on Iran's trajectory. Should Washington attempt regime change there or significant destabilization, the likelihood of Hamas capitulation rises sharply, the source says.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, US President Donald Trump addressed the Hamas disarmament issue frontally: "I believe peace exists across the Middle East save for a handful of 'hot spots' – Hamas among them. Hamas has committed to surrendering its weapons. They were born with guns in their hands, so this isn't simple for them. But they pledged to do it and they must, and we'll have our answer within three days, perhaps three weeks. If they don't comply, they will be blown out rather swiftly."
The statement carries weight both for the deadline Trump imposed and for positioning Hamas weaponry as the primary impediment to regional peace. Trump's solution, should Hamas defy disarmament, comes wrapped in military terminology but signals Israel will get a free hand to act unilaterally.
Trump similarly tackled Iran, crediting the June Israeli-American strikes with establishing the foundation for Middle Eastern stability. "We had a regional tyrant – they called him Iran. He's a tyrant no longer...Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the rest couldn't sign on because a dark shadow hung over the arrangement. If we hadn't neutralized Iran's nuclear facilities, they'd have gone atomic within months."
Trump sketched an audacious, remorseless worldview at the Davos gathering – one centered on unchallenged American hegemony. To Europe's leaders, his message rang unmistakable: "I am the world's authority. Cooperate with me or I exercise my dominance."
New global disorder
Trump is tearing down the classical international order, casting it as actually "world disorder," with himself as the emerging architect. This manifests through the creation of a Gaza Board of Peace – an forum to which he's invited global leaders. Most Middle Eastern powers, including Israel, have accepted. Others remain noncommittal.
The board's blueprint: to function as a more effective, Trump-controlled mechanism for addressing planetary challenges. Per our earlier reporting, the multinational peacekeeping contingent earmarked for Gaza could become the board's deployable force across regional conflicts.
Israel surfaced in Trump's remarks, though the framing proved questionable. Trump asserted US authorship of the Iron Dome and Golden Dome interceptors: "What we delivered for Israel was extraordinary. I told Bibi – stop taking credit for the Dome; that's American engineering. But they demonstrated tremendous bravery, and we neutralized the Iranian threat like nobody's done before."
In reality, the development did receive partial American financing and tech assistance, yet the engineering and advancement were fundamentally Israeli. Just as Trump claimed credit for June's Iran operations – largely executed by Israel – he's similarly misattributing Israeli innovation. Nonetheless, the Middle East and Israel remained tertiary topics throughout the address and the Q&A that followed.
The actual flashpoint: Europe and Greenland
Trump's clash with Western Europe dominated the stage, particularly his fixation on Greenland. The president justified American interest in the Arctic possession: "Each NATO member must pledge to safeguard its territory – and no allied coalition can shield Greenland except America."
In his framing, Greenland "is positioned openly in a crucial zone involving the US, Russia, and China – dead center. America's core defense strategy depends on it – barring adversarial penetration into our hemisphere. That's why we've pursued Greenland for two centuries. Only the United States can be Greenland's protector."
Trump stressed he seeks purchasing the island, not a lease. He intimated American military options regarding Greenland but underscored he won't deploy them.
The American leader unleashed fierce attacks on Europe's progressive migration model and championed his shift in US immigration stance. He labeled the green energy transition "the green climate scam," remarking: "Nations multiplying wind turbines multiply their losses. China palms these off to naive buyers – and rakes in billions. They're stunned the trend persists."
For all the Greenland emphasis, the paramount geopolitical prize remains Ukraine's war. If Trump engineers a settlement, it becomes irrefutable validation of his self-proclaimed status as "king of the new world."
Trump's Davos address embodies his unwavering conviction: the globe must reorganize per his American blueprint, or prepare to confront the planet's foremost superpower.
