Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan in new break from Trump

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Aug. 9 rejected a U.S.-backed 15-point Gaza proposal endorsed by Hamas, saying Israeli forces would not withdraw until the group had fully disarmed.

“Israel does not accept the 15-point document,” Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.

“The Israeli military will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”

Netanyahu said the process must cover all heavy and light weapons and amount to “genuine disarmament,” adding that Israel was discussing its objections with Washington.

The proposal, drawn up by the U.S.-established Board of Peace in July, links Hamas’s disarmament to a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces and the eventual transfer of Gaza’s administration to an independent Palestinian committee.

It is intended to advance the next stage of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October.

Netanyahu described U.S. President Donald Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend in the White House,” but said his government would continue to press its objections and stand its ground when necessary.

Israel is due to hold elections on Oct. 27. Netanyahu faces pressure from far-right coalition partners who oppose the proposal, while recent polls indicate a close contest.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, defended the proposal as “the only way forward” in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12.

Mladenov said the plan would impose no obligations on Israel until Hamas surrendered all its weapons, although Israel would ultimately be required to withdraw from Gaza.

Hamas said it remained committed to the proposal. Bassem Naim, a member of the group’s political bureau, called on Washington and other mediators to press Netanyahu to follow the roadmap and not obstruct it for domestic political reasons