Netanyahu rejects Trump's plan to advance towards peace in Gaza

JerusalemThe Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced this Sunday that he rejects the 15-point plan announced by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to advance towards the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and reiterated that the Israeli army will not leave the Palestinian enclave until Hamas disarms.

"Israel rejects the 15-point document. The Israel Defense Forces will not make any withdrawal until the real disarmament of Hamas occurs and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens," Netanyahu stated in a video released at the start of the government meeting. The Prime Minister insisted that Hamas's disarmament must be total. "When I say Hamas must be disarmed, I mean heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, all weapons. We are talking about a real disarmament, not a fictitious one," he remarked.

Netanyahu's message went beyond Gaza and highlighted another disagreement with the President of the United States. The leader wanted to make it clear that, despite his close relationship with Trump, Israel will not automatically accept Washington's proposals. "They have ideas; some are acceptable to us and others are not, and we know how to stand up to these issues," he stated. "We have shown it in the past and we are also showing it today," he insisted.

Netanyahu's stance comes after a few days in which the political process to define the future of Gaza seemed to be taking a step forward. At the end of July, as reported by various Israeli media, the security cabinet had approved the limited entry into the Strip of the International Stabilization Force, a mission promoted by the Trump administration within the framework of the Peace Board's roadmap. Now, however, Netanyahu's words leave it uncertain to what extent this mechanism will be able to advance.

The mission would include, in a first phase, the deployment of 200 personnel from "friendly countries", according to Israeli officials cited by The Times of Israel. Only countries with which Israel maintains a peace agreement and which do not act against the Israeli state or its officials in international forums could participate. In this context, the troops would act in full coordination with the Israeli army and would initially be deployed around the borders of a pilot humanitarian zone that the Peace Board plans in the Rafah area, in the south of the Strip. Ultimately, however, the entry of any personnel would require the express authorization of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; the Minister of Defense, Israel Katz; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa’ar.

The disarmament of Hamas remains the main stumbling block

The Peace Board, led by the United States, is trying to deploy a plan for post-war Gaza that foresees the creation of an international mechanism to oversee Hamas's disarmament and facilitate the transition to a new administrative structure for the territory. Hamas, which has controlled the Strip since 2006, has accepted the roadmap, as have other armed factions, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

However, disarmament remains the most delicate point of the agreement. Hamas has conditioned the handover of its heavy weaponry on the end of "all forms of Israeli aggression" and the withdrawal of its troops from Gaza. Israel, on the other hand, maintains that there will be no withdrawal as long as Hamas is not completely disarmed. This is the main sticking point of Trump's plan. Washington has been trying for months to move towards the second phase of the ceasefire and launch the post-war political architecture, but, for now, both sides maintain incompatible conditions on the order in which key steps should occur. And Netanyahu wanted to make Israel's limit clear this Sunday: first, Hamas's disarmament; then, any withdrawal.

The prime minister's words come, moreover, at a politically delicate moment. With Israeli elections on the horizon, Netanyahu has little room to make concessions that his right-wing could interpret as a retreat in the face of Hamas or a capitulation to Washington. His far-right allies have already called on him to halt the plan for Gaza and resubmit it to the cabinet.