WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump officially thanked Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir on Monday for backing the White House’s new 20-point Gaza peace proposal. Trump said this during a press conference after the proposal was made public. The goal of the proposal is to halt the war between Israel and Hamas.
Trump hailed a number of Arab and Muslim leaders, such as those from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, and Indonesia, for their help with the proposal. He then named the leaders of Pakistan, saying, “The prime minister and the field marshal of Pakistan were with us from the start.” He also said that he had been told that they “just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact,” and that they “100% back it.”
The peace proposal, which has been in the works for months, lays out a way to end the war right away, exchange hostages and prisoners, demilitarize Gaza, and eventually rebuild it. The plan calls for a temporary, non-political Palestinian committee to run Gaza, with President Trump’s new international agency in charge of it.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had just visited with Trump at the White House during the UN General Assembly, used social media platform X to say he liked the idea. He stressed that a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis is necessary for the region’s political stability and economic progress.
As the US and Pakistan’s relationship gets better, Trump praises Sharif and Munir. Before their meeting last week, Trump had called both men “great guys,” which was a big change from how he has talked about Pakistan in the past. The high-level involvement and public appreciation show that the U.S. is once again interested in improving its relationship with the South Asian country.