Netanyahu Rejects Trump's 15-Point Gaza Plan

Synopsis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spurned President Donald Trump's 15-point Gaza peace plan, saying that Israeli forces will not withdraw until the Muslim group Hamas is "genuinely disarmed. The decision is a blow to Washington's Middle East efforts and precedes upcoming Israeli elections.

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The 15-point document was rejected by Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to accept a U.S.-brokered proposal for Hamas to abandon all of its weapons in the Gaza Strip if Israel withdraws from the area. The 15-point document, which President Trump recently touted as a breakthrough toward ending the conflict, is unacceptable to "Israel".

A Sequencing Dispute

The crux of the disagreement is the priority. Israeli would not pull out of Gaza "until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, not fictitious disarmed," Netanyahu said at a meeting with government ministers.

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Trump's roadmap, which was published on July 31, had called for Israel's withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas in a staged process, not waiting for Hamas' disarmament before Israeli forces started withdrawing.

The Board of Peace, the international body overseeing the Gaza transition, had already been on Netanyahu's side on this issue, stating on August 3 that Israeli forces would not pull back beyond the so-called "Yellow Line" in Gaza until all Hamas's weapons have been disarmed completely.

Political Stakes at Home

Netanyahu's move comes less than three months before Israel's Oct. 27 elections, during which polls are casting doubt on his coalition's majority. Palestinian officials and aid groups estimate that Israel now holds about 70% of control of Gaza.

Reactions From All Sides

Netanyahu also reiterated: "There shall be no Palestinian state, in Gaza or the West Bank, under my premiership. In his diplomatic stance he was more conciliatory in his comments on current negotiations".

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"We are discussing this with the Americans, who have ideas, some are acceptable, some are not and we know how to stand firm on these issues," Further iterated PM Netanyahu.

The rejection stirred strong criticism from Palestinian officials. Netanyahu's statement was "a challenge, contempt and deception of both the American administration and President Trump's team," said Mohammad Dahlan, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, arguing that Washington now knew Netanyahu was a hindrance to security and stability.

Netanyahu's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, on the other hand, welcomed the announcement.

Hamas, in turn, held onto its position. Hamas said that it was determined to implement the plan in full and urged mediators and guarantor nations to "fulfill their obligations" and prevent "violation" that could undermine the process in a statement on Telegram.

The overarching strategic context

The rejection has been seen to change the diplomatic situation, say analysts. Al Jazeera correspondent in Bethlehem Nour Odeh said the conditions Netanyahu gave the Board of Peace and the other international mediators could “be extremely problematic” for them, adding that the Board of Peace has “very limited power” to proceed without the Israelis' support.

The White House did not immediately have a response to the comments. The episode raises doubts about the viability of the roadmap in the face of a rift between the US President and Israel's current Prime Minister and the fragility of Washington's flagship Middle East initiative.