Retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer and retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt warned Thursday on Newsmax that the second phase of the Gaza peace plan is faltering.
They added that the U.S. diplomatic mission to Israel is focused on navigating local politics to preserve regional stability.
On “The Chris Salcedo Show,” Shaffer criticized the slow rollout of the next part of the plan, saying the lack of urgency is giving Hamas terrorists the opportunity to regroup in the Gaza Strip.
“I think the first mistake of phase two is not moving the Arab coalition rapidly,” Shaffer said. “One of the things that terrorists love is ungoverned space, and right now, Gaza is ungoverned.
“So, what we’re seeing was predictable.”
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists coordinated armed incursions from Gaza into southern Israel, where some 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered and 251 kidnapped.
After two years of fighting, a ceasefire has calmed the two warring factions.
Now, the delicate ceasefire could be at risk of unraveling.
Shaffer said the immediate priority in Gaza should be restoring governance and disarming Hamas.
“Let me say this clearly, for the record: Hamas will not self-disarm,” he said. “They’re not going to do it; they’re a terrorist organization. So, I think there’s some potentially fatal flaws in this if they don’t fix that immediately.”
He also noted that Israel’s patience is wearing thin.
“We have a terrorist organization that’s about to be rewarded with continued governance of Gaza,” he said. “That’s not acceptable, and I understand why they’re saying what they’re saying.”
Holt suggested that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were dispatched to Israel this week to reinforce U.S. commitment and to help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu navigate domestic political challenges.
“That’s why I think we sent the big guns there, Chris, because the vice president and now Secretary Rubio are in place,” Holt said. “Part of their task is to work on Israeli politics and make them understand that those are not hollow words by President Trump.”
Holt also addressed tensions over Israel’s proposed annexation of the West Bank.
In an Oct. 15 interview with Time magazine, Trump said the United States would cut ties with Israel if Israel moved forward with annexation.
Israel’s Knesset advanced legislation about a week later.
Holt acknowledged Netanyahu’s political challenges but said Israel’s participation in the peace framework must hold.
“Bibi Netanyahu has already gotten himself, in the last few years, into a political pickle with his own party,” Holt said. “That’s not our business, but what is our business is they are signed into this deal.
“They need to see it through.”
Holt cautioned that any breakdown within Israel’s parliament could derail the peace process.
“If the Knesset is going to unravel on this, we’re going to have some serious problems and Israel is going to be without the critical support that it needs,” Holt said.
“So, hopefully the diplomacy that’s getting done right now is working. There’s a lot on the backs of Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio right now.”
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