Hamas risks losing Gaza reconstruction by rejecting disarmament, WSJ warns

 Hamas’s refusal to disarm would leave the group in continuing breach of the new Gaza framework and could block reconstruction and other benefits promised under US President Donald Trump’s plan, The Wall Street Journal warned on Tuesday.

In an editorial on the UN Security Council’s endorsement of Trump’s 20-point proposal, the paper said that by rejecting clauses on disarmament, Hamas is effectively holding up Gaza’s recovery.

According to the editorial, if the second phase of Trump’s strategy fails to deliver real change on the ground because Hamas refuses to honor its commitments, the administration will need the “bravery” to walk away from the arrangement rather than repeat past peace processes that continued despite systematic violations.

The Wall Street Journal argued that the success of the Gaza plan now hinges on whether Hamas is willing to accept demilitarization as a precondition for reconstruction and political gains. WSJ's editorial board wrote that the resolution “embraces” Trump’s demand that Hamas disarm and that Gaza be demilitarized, describing the vote as a rare case in which the UN has not tried to dilute or rewrite US conditions.

The text supports a buffer zone under Israeli control and links reconstruction in Gaza to verifiable progress on security, including the removal of Hamas’s military capabilities. 

According to the exposition, Washington succeeded in resisting attempts to add language that would pressure Israel into rapid territorial concessions or tie the plan’s implementation to rigid timelines. It praised US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz for what it called muscular diplomacy that preserved the core of the original 20 points announced by Trump last month. 

No automatic path to Palestinian state, WSJ notes

A central theme of the editorial is that the resolution does not recognize a Palestinian state or predetermine borders along the 1967 lines. Instead, it frames Palestinian statehood as a conditional, long-term prospect that would depend on deep reforms by the Palestinian Authority and the removal of the threat posed by Hamas. 

The text, as described by the Journal and other reports, states that only after the Palestinian leadership undergoes a stringent process of reform and deradicalization “may” conditions exist for a credible path to self-determination and eventual statehood.

Trump’s plan, and the resolution that now backs it, also envisage a transitional governance structure in Gaza, supported by an international security force, rather than an immediate transfer of control. 

The editorial underlined that the resolution authorizes an Israeli security presence in a defined buffer zone in Gaza and backs the deployment of an International Security Force to stabilize areas from which the IDF withdraws.

Other reporting has said the force is expected to be composed mainly of Western and regional partners, with a mandate to enforce demilitarization and protect reconstruction projects.

Jerusalem Post analyses in recent weeks have noted that Israel has pushed for any international force to focus on dismantling Hamas’s tunnel networks and rocket infrastructure, and to ensure that no heavy weaponry reenters the Strip, echoing the conditions highlighted by the Journal. 

Hamas quickly condemned the Security Council decision, singling out clauses related to disarmament. In a statement cited by the editorial, Hamas and other Palestinian factions rejected “any clause related to disarming Gaza,” signaling that the group has no intention of complying with the demilitarization demanded by Washington and endorsed by the UN. 

The text contrasted the new resolution with earlier UN General Assembly moves that focused on rapid recognition of Palestinian statehood and criticism of Israel.

It argued that international pressure on Jerusalem has eased in recent weeks as the Trump administration built support for its plan and as markets reacted positively to the vote, with Bloomberg reporting that “Israel is a market's favorite” and Germany lifting a partial arms embargo on Israel. 

Israeli officials have welcomed the Security Council vote as confirmation that Hamas must be disarmed and that any future in Gaza depends on removing its military capabilities, positions that have featured prominently in Israeli diplomacy and media commentary.

Recent Jerusalem Post coverage has linked the plan to broader regional discussions on an international stabilization force and to debates over security guarantees for Israel after the war.