Scott Morrison has praised Donald Trump for his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, adding that if it succeeds he could think of no recipient “more worthy” than the US president for the Nobel peace prize.
US officials landed in Egypt on Sunday ahead of discussion between Israel and Hamas to finalise details of a hostage release, prisoner swap and a lasting ceasefire deal.
Under the proposal, after the hostage release and prisoner swap, Hamas members will be granted amnesty and lay down their weapons while a temporary transitional body – overseen and supervised by a Trump-headed “Board of Peace” – takes government.
The former Australian prime minister described the plan as an “absolute gamechanger”, praising the US president for standing alone against the tide of the world.
“President Trump has gone completely against the tide of where the world was at the UN. He has stood against that. He has stood almost completely on his own, and he has stood fast for this plan. I’m pleased the rest of the world is coming in behind this plan now,” Morrison told Sky News on Monday.
“It’s a tremendous plan, and I commend President Trump for it.
“There’s been plenty of people who’ve got Nobel prizes. I can tell you, if President Trump pulls this one off, I can think of no more worthy recipient.”
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also expressed support for the plan last week, urging “all parties to engage seriously with the plan and to work to bring its vision into reality without delay, together with our partners”.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose administrative wing has governed Gaza since 2007, has reportedly agreed to many of the plan’s details, including the release of all Israeli hostages it has held since October 2023 in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Hamas has said it was prepared to turn over “the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing”.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its bombardment of Gaza amid a renewed military offensive despite pleas from Trump to stop.
The deal also promises an increase of aid to Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine, and the reconstruction of the mostly demolished strip.
