B’nai B’rith President Robert Spitzer and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

B’nai B’rith welcomes the framework set out today by President Donald Trump during a White House news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it holds, and for a broader peace in the region. A new Board of Peace, an international oversight body, will help create and maintain the framework for lasting peace.

The terror group Hamas has not yet agreed to the outline.

We commend the president for clearly noting Hamas started the war in Gaza—reminding the world of the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Trump also noted that Israel withdrew from Gaza in exchange for the potential for peace in 2005 but Hamas diverted resources for terror infrastructure, “instead of building a better life for the Palestinian people.”

As detailed by Trump the peace plan “is focused on ending the war immediately, getting all of our hostages back…and creating conditions for Israeli security and Palestinian success.”

We fully agree that the release of the hostages must remain at the top of any framework for peace. The remaining hostages have endured two years of the most horrific conditions.

We agree with the president: “Now it’s time for Hamas to accept the terms of the plan.”

Netanyahu said that today’s plan is a “critical step” to ending the war. He commended the “practical path forward” as a new beginning for Gaza and the region.

We support the Trump-Netanyahu talk of the opportunities that lie ahead to expand peace in the region through the Abraham Accords and beyond.

We eagerly await the next steps to bring the hostages home and move forward with a stable and lasting framework for peace and security for Israel.