Trump envoy blames Hamas for Gaza ‘disaster’, whitewashes Israel blockade

Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, has attacked Hamas in an op-ed in the Washington Post, and announced that the White House will soon be “brainstorming” for solutions to the situation in the occupied Gaza Strip.

According to Greenblatt, “in response to the burgeoning humanitarian situation in Gaza, key countries and stakeholders are preparing to act”, placing the blame for the “humanitarian disaster” entirely on “Hamas’ exploitation of the Palestinians of Gaza”.

The envoy referenced a recent meeting in Cairo, and revealed “there will be a brainstorming session at the White House next week to find real solutions to the problems that Hamas has caused”.

The “Gaza conference” in Washington will, Greenblatt said, “focus on ideas for how to develop, over time, a viable economy in Gaza”, taking into account “Egypt’s and Israel’s security concerns”.

Focusing entirely on Hamas, the senior official stated that the Trump administration is committed “to find a path to a brighter future for the Palestinians of Gaza”, who, Greenblatt said, “have the opportunity to reject the failed policies of Hamas”.

Read: Hamas denies US accusations on Gaza misery

Greenblatt’s op-ed failed to mention the status of the Gaza Strip as under Israeli military occupation, as affirmed by the UN Security Council, nor the over decade-long illegal blockade of the territory.