Should President Trump be eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize because of his efforts to procure a lasting peace plan between Israel and Hamas? The question is no longer quite the joke that it would have been a few months ago.

Below we consider that question in detail, here are the main points of the proposal. How many of these will actually be fulfilled, only time will tell. But here is what was negotiated.

1. Deradicalized Gaza: Gaza should be transformed into a zone that “does not pose a threat to Israel” or its neighbors.
2. Re-development for Gazans: Reconstruction, infrastructure, public services, and economic revival for the people of Gaza.
3. Immediate ceasefire and suspension of hostilities: If both parties accept the plan, war would end immediately. Israeli forces would withdraw to agreed lines, and all military operations (air, artillery, etc.) would be suspended.
4. Hostage return within 72 hours: Within 72 hours after Israel publicly accepts the plan, all hostages (alive or deceased) held in Gaza must be returned.
5. Release of Palestinian prisoners: After hostages are returned, Israel must release 250 life-sentence prisoners plus ~1,700 Gazans detained since October 7, 2023 (including all women and children detained in that context).
6. Amnesty / safe passage for Hamas members who disarm: Hamas members who relinquish weapons and commit to peaceful coexistence would be granted amnesty; those who choose to leave Gaza would receive safe passage.
7. Immediate large-scale humanitarian aid: Once the agreement goes into effect, humanitarian aid would be deployed immediately, including water, power, sanitation, hospitals, debris removal, road reopening, etc.
8. Neutral distribution of aid: Aid entry and distribution would be via the U.N. and other neutral international agencies (e.g. Red Crescent), free from interference by parties to the conflict. Opening of border crossings would follow pre-agreed mechanisms.
9. Transitional technocratic governance: Gaza would be governed temporarily by an apolitical committee of Palestinian technocrats, overseeing essential services and municipal functions.
10. Supervision by a “Peace Board” / international oversight: The transitional authority would be overseen by a “Board of Peace,” chaired by President Trump, and involving international experts.
11. Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza: The plan states there should be no Israeli annexation of Gaza.
12. Phased withdrawal of Israeli forces: As security and control are transferred to international stabilization forces (ISF, see below), the IDF would withdraw in stages, subject to conditions, milestones, and security assurances.
13. International Stabilization Force (ISF) / security arrangement: A multinational force would help secure border/perimeter areas, prevent arms smuggling, support new Palestinian police, and maintain stability.
14. Joint security cooperation: Israeli, Egyptian, and ISF / Palestinian security forces would coordinate border and security in Gaza to ensure no re-entry of weapons, etc.
15. “Free zones” and contingency if Hamas rejects or delays: If Hamas delays or rejects the proposal, Israel and its partners would begin implementing security, aid, and administration in “terror-free zones” that have been cleared.
16. Limitations on future Israeli attacks on Qatar: The plan commits Israel not to launch future attacks on Qatari territory, such as previous strikes to assassinate Hamas leaders.
17. Countering radical elements and narrative change: Educational and interfaith dialogue measures would be introduced to counter extremism, reshape narratives, and promote tolerance (including revising curricula).
18. Reforms of Palestinian Authority & governance prospects: The plan contemplates a reformed Palestinian Authority and opening the door to Palestinian self-determination when conditions are met.
19. Pathway to statehood / political horizon: While the plan does not immediately establish a Palestinian state, it envisions a future credible path toward statehood if reforms and security are achieved.
20. Dialogue to establish durable coexistence: The U.S. would launch a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to define a more permanent political horizon and vision of coexistence.

To state the obvious, there are a LOT of places where this plan could still fall apart. The first and most crucial test is whether Hamas will release the 48 hostages (only 20 of whom are believed to still be alive) and whether that will happen on Monday, as is currently contemplated. If so, Israel has a lot of prisoners that they have promised to release in return.

Now the question arises, who actually negotiated this agreement on behalf of the United States. The answer, it turns out, are Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Bishara Bahbah. Kushner, some of you may remember, helped to negotiate the Abraham Accords during the first Trump Administration. Maybe the Nobel Committee should give him the peace prize next year. Boy, wouldn’t that take Trump over the edge?

But, to be fair, Trump did apparently make a phone call to Bibi Netanyahu telling him “this is the deal that you have to take.”

So, there is an argument to be made for Trump.

Of course, he’s not getting the prize this year, since this year’s prize has been awarded to María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader and activist.

On the other hand, there are many arguments to be made for why Trump should never get the Nobel Peace Prize.

• The first and most obvious argument is his descent into fascism. 
• Then there is his lawlessness. 
• There is his refusal to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election. 
• There is his weaponization of the Justice Department.
• There is his destruction of boats in international waters without any evidence that they are “Tren de Aragua”
• There is his holding of immigrants in concentration camps like “Alligator Alcatraz” in violation of habeas corpus.
• There is his unilateral withdrawal from international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Global Compact on Migration, and a number of others.

I’m really just scratching the surface here, and honestly, I don’t have the time or inclination to list all of the reasons that Trump should never get a Nobel prize. It doesn’t really matter, in any case, because the Norwegians hate Trump, and they are never going to give it to him regardless of what else he does.

It’s also pretty well known that Trump only wants the prize because Obama got the prize. He doesn’t care about peace in Palestine. He likes Netanyahu, but he doesn’t care about the Israelis. Just like he doesn’t care about his own voters, who are about to (or already have) get screwed on health care and farm subsidies and tariffs on consumer products.

As for the Nobel, Obama himself has conceded that he didn’t really deserve the prize. He mostly got it for “presidenting” while being black. Formally, Obama got the prize for promoting nuclear disarmament, diplomatic engagement, promoting multilateralism, climate change leadership, and his work on human rights and democracy. That’s not nothing, but again, it’s not the kind of thing that would normally get you the prize.

It’s a moot point, because Trump isn’t getting the prize. Not now, not ever. All I’m saying is, in the interests of objectivity, there is an argument to be made for giving him the prize.