Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cast serious doubt on the viability of the next phase of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan on Sunday, telling NBC’s Meet the Press that Hamas has no intention of voluntarily giving up its weapons.
Speaking live from Tel Aviv shortly after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the South Carolina Republican offered a grim assessment of the situation on the ground. When host Kristen Welker asked if he believed Hamas was ready to disarm—a key requirement for moving the peace plan to “Phase Two” later this month—Graham was blunt.
“Absolutely not,” Graham said. “One of the reasons I came here was to answer that question.”
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Graham credited the Trump administration for securing a ceasefire but warned that the intelligence he received from Israeli military officials suggests the militant group is not adhering to the disarmament protocols necessary for an international stabilizing force to take over Gaza.
“You can’t have a stabilizing force in Gaza until Hamas has disarmed,” Graham said. “There’s nobody coming over the horizon to disarm them.”
The Senator proposed a more aggressive approach, urging President Trump to meet with Netanyahu in the coming week to establish a strict timeline. Graham argued that if the group does not surrender its weapons and cease rearming efforts by a “date certain,” the U.S. should support a renewed military offensive.
“Put Hamas on a time clock,” Graham said. “If they don’t turn over their weapons… I would unleash Israel on them. That’s what I would do.”
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The interview also touched on rising tensions with Iran. Responding to reports that Tehran is expanding its ballistic missile program and reconstituting nuclear enrichment sites damaged in U.S. strikes last June, Graham suggested the threat remains potent.
“We obliterated their nuclear facilities,” Graham noted, referring to previous strikes. “We did not obliterate their desire to have a bomb.” He added that he believes Iran is actively trying to rebuild its ballistic missile capabilities to “overwhelm the Iron Dome.”
Graham concluded the interview with a bleak outlook for the immediate future, insisting that a political solution remains impossible under the current conditions.
“There is no path to peace as long as Hamas has their arms and they intend to stay in power,” he said. “I see no effort by Hamas to voluntarily disarm… quite the opposite.”
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