Weekly Commentary: Painful Reality: Only Israel Can Determine Hamas

Weekly Commentary: Painful Reality: Only Israel Can Determine Hamas
Compliance
Dr. Aaron Lerner 9 October 2025

A reminder:

Congress made aid to the PA contingent on PA compliance with Oslo:

“Public Law 103-125 103d Congress
An Act Entitled the “Middle East Peace Facilitation Act of 1993″.
…
(2) PRESIDENTIAL CERTIFICATION. – The President may exercise the authority
provided in subsection (a) only if the President certifies to the relevant
congressional committees that -
(A) it is in the national interest of the United States to exercise such
authority; and
(B) the Palestine Liberation Organization continues to abide by all the
commitments described in paragraph (4).

(3) REQUIREMENT FOR CONTINUING PLO COMPLIANCE. – Any suspension under
subsection (a) of a provision of law specified in subsection (d) shall cease
to be effective if the President certifies to the relevant congressional
committees that the Palestine Liberation Organization has not continued to
abide by all the commitments described in paragraph (4).

(4) PLO COMMITMENTS DESCRIBED.-The commitments referred to in paragraphs (2)
and (3) are the commitments made by the Palestine Liberation Organization -

(A) in its letter of September 9, 1993, to the Prime Minister of Israel;
(B) in its letter of September 9, 1993, to the Foreign Minister of Norway;
and
(C) in, and resulting from the implementation of, the Declaration of
Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements signed on September
13,1993. “

So for years the President of the United States of America dutifully
certified PA compliance even though the PA never actually complied.

Let’s look at the structure of President Trump’s deal for Gaza:

“…As the I.S.F.[International Stabilization Force] establishes control
and stability, the Israel Defense Forces (I.D.F.) will withdraw based on
standards, milestones, and time frames linked to demilitarization that will
be agreed upon between the I.D.F., I.S.F., the guarantors, and the United
States, with the objective of a secure Gaza that no longer poses a threat to
Israel, Egypt, or its citizens. Practically, the I.D.F. will progressively
hand over the Gaza territory it occupies to the ISF according to an
agreement they will make with the transitional authority until they are
withdrawn completely from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence that
will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat.”

The problem is that even if there are absolutely fantastic “standards” and
“milestones” we have already learned from the implementation of the “Middle
East Peace Facilitation Act of 1993″ that even the United States of America
cannot be relied upon to tell the truth about Palestinian compliance when it
is inconvenient.

It would appear that the only way for there to be true compliance in this
deal is if Israel has the final say as to if standards and milestones were
met.
________________________________________
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Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

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