Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected on Sunday a U.S.-backed plan to link Hamas’ disarmament in Gaza with a phased Israeli withdrawal. The proposal had the strong support of President Donald Trump, who called it “a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.”
“Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told his cabinet. He said Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas surrendered “heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry.” Netanyahu also objected to the plan’s proposal for creating a “credible pathway towards achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
“As long as I am prime minister, a Palestinian state will not be established,” he said Sunday.
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The Board of Peace, which was established by Trump to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, unveiled the roadmap July 30. According to the proposal, Israel and Hamas have two weeks to hammer out a framework that would see a phased Hamas disarmament in tandem with an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. An international stabilization force would then assume responsibility for security in the territory.
But the plan doesn’t establish a detailed timeline, and the two sides have been deadlocked over sequencing (Hamas wants Israel to halt military operations and begin withdrawing immediately, while Israel says Hamas must disarm before any Israeli troops are pulled back).
Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the roadmap Sunday and urged mediators to press Israel to comply. Netanyahu said his government was continuing discussions with Washington, but would oppose even its closest allies when necessary to protect its security.
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