President Donald Trump
The White House
Washington D.C.
Dear Mr. President,
The leadership and members of Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) commend your decision to devote time and attention to the most urgent need of ending the Gaza war and planning its ‘morning after’.
We are deeply dismayed and astounded by the fact that our own government persistently refuses to address these issues, long after Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to our country and given that its residual terror capacity can be dealt with remotely or otherwise, as has been the case since you and your team forged a ceasefire with Lebanon.
Like you, a clear majority of Israelis prioritize ending the war to secure the urgent release of all our hostages.
With few exceptions, we find the Egyptian Plan as embraced by the Arab League last March, and its derivative presented jointly by Saudi Arabia and France last July, reflective of our professional judgement and the wishes of the vast majority of Israelis.
Specifically, we respectfully submit that in addressing Israeli security needs and US priorities, as well as local, regional and international concerns, the ‘morning after’ plan should be governed by the following five principles:
- End of war and return of all hostages – living and deceased.
- An urgent surge in humanitarian assistance.
- Coordinated phasing out of the IDF with the phasing in of a Hamas-free, alternative governance administration, tasked with addressing civil management, law and order, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
- The alternative Gaza management to comprise deployments – boots on the ground included – from Arab countries that have expressed willingness to shoulder that responsibility under the invitation of – and in coordination with – the Palestinian Authority.
- All while preserving Israel’s inalienable right of self-defense.
Once launched, this plan can set the stage for the next phase of your historic Abraham Accords achievement. By normalizing Israel’s relations with Saudi Arabia and with other Arab and non-Arab Muslim states, Israel’s integration in a US-led powerful regional coalition is bound to contribute to the security, stability and prosperity of all its members.
Mr. President,
Your proven record in effecting the previous hostages-ceasefire deal as well as the release of Idan Alexander, coupled with your success in Lebanon and bold action vis-à-vis Iran, testify to your capacity to get things done over here. Importantly, it is augmented by your unmatched popularity among Israelis.
We venture the hope that you choose to leverage it all to bring this bloody chapter to an end and to launch a new one, where Israelis, Palestinians, and others in the broader region, can start healing those wounds and focus on rebuilding toward stability, prosperity and an eventual negotiated resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Most respectfully,
Maj. Gen. (Ret.), Matan Vilnai
Former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff
CIS Chair
