Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ presses Hamas on disarmament

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, met Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, last week and pressed the group on disarmament. Two officials briefed on the encounter said the talks underscored that Hamas remains a key actor in Gaza’s postwar transition and came amid worries that the cease-fire could collapse.

The board is finalizing a demilitarization plan it hopes will be acceptable to both Israel and Hamas, allowing the group to keep some small arms at least initially. In Cairo, Mr. al-Hayya refused to discuss demilitarization; officials did not say why. In an interview that aired on Dec.

10, a Qatar-based Hamas leader said taking weapons from Palestinians would be like taking away their soul. Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan calls on Hamas to give up its weapons, but the group’s leadership has not publicly agreed.

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