Aaron David Miller

Number two, who fills the security vacuum?

Hamas has deployed, what, several thousand policemen into areas from which the Israelis have, urban areas largely, from which the Israelis have redeployed.

That's Hamas in control.

But the 20-point plan talks about an international stabilization force composed, I would gather, from security forces from Arab and Muslim countries.

That's the second issue.

And the third, of course, is who or what is going to govern Gaza?

There's talk of a board of peace with Donald Trump as chairman and Tony Blair has been mentioned.

What about Palestinian representation?

There's talk of a technocratic government identifying Palestinians that have some degree of legitimacy and credibility.

But what does it actually mean to govern Palestine?

And who do you get to staff up the administrative structure that is going to be required, the thousands, in order to engage in this process of governance?

I mean, they're making a virtue out of necessity, I think.

And I think a lot of it flows from one other point, which I find extraordinary, that in order to close this deal on Hamas side, Trump authorized Witkoff and Kushner to meet directly with

with Khalil al-Hayah, probably the most important external part of the Hamas leadership.

That was extraordinary.

Trump had done it once before in March to openly negotiate, to construct a channel with Hamas.

And the more I think about it,

The more I go back to your initial point about Trump's transactional nature, he's willing to break all kinds of traditional diplomatic crockery.

And I would bet before this deal progresses substantively, there probably will be other direct meetings between administration officials.

and Hamas, which, of course, is going to drive the Netanyahu government crazy.