Just Months Away From Israeli Elections, Netanyahu Is Unlikely to Pull Back From His Hardline Stance

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, insisting Israel will not withdraw until Hamas fully disarms. "Israel rejects the 15-point document, Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, as reported by the BBC. The Israeli military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens, he added.

The Israeli prime minister said he is now discussing with U.S. officials how to go forward, deeming some ideas "acceptable" and some "are not. Trump claimed last month that there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war, which both Israel and Hamas agreed to last year and which started with the ceasefire. Trump said that Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades before carrying out the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, had agreed to lay down its weapons.

Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Gaza since agreeing to the ceasefire last October. Just months away from Israeli elections, Netanyahu is unlikely to pull back from his hardline stance. Last month, Egypt, which is mediating discussions between Israel and Hamas, said that both sides had agreed to a new 15-point roadmap and that a future meeting would be held in Cairo "to discuss implementation mechanisms.

Trump had thanked Egypt, Qatar and Turkey for mediating the agreement and called the deal "historic. A senior Hamas negotiator said at the time that the group's disarmament is conditional on Israel fulfilling its commitments under the agreement, including withdrawing from Gaza and allowing the establishment of a national committee and reconstruction efforts. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said: "The agreement contains a clear provision stating that Israel must commit to and implement its obligations.

If Israel does not implement the agreement, neither will we. Israel's rejection of the plan is a further block for Trump who announced his Gaza peace plan in September last year. The deal included the total disarmament of Hamas and other groups in Gaza as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.

It also stipulates that Hamas and 'other factions' agree that "all civilian governance and security functions in Gaza shall be handed over" to a new technocratic body set up to run the enclave. With that, the technocratic body will take over responsibility for handling "internal security incidents. The 15-point plan also says that process will be "linked" to an Israeli withdrawal "in phases, towards a complete withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.

There is no mention of a reconstruction process. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies.