Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flatly rejected President Donald Trumps 15-point Gaza peace framework, insisting Israel will not pull back its forces until Hamas has been genuinely disarmed.
Israel rejects the 15-point document, Netanyahu told his cabinet, dealing a fresh blow to the U.S.-backed initiative to end the Gaza war, according to Mediaite. The prime minister stated that 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.
In a post accompanying a video of his formal announcement, Netanyahu vowed: As long as I am Prime Minister, a Palestinian state will not arise not in Gaza and not in the West Bank. Not Fatahstan and not Hamasstan. He told ministers that discussions with U.S. officials were ongoing, adding, They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters.
Trumps Board of Peace announced last month that a deal had been reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza, which President Trump hailed as a monumental step toward lasting peace and security. Hamas, however, has conditioned surrendering its heavy weapons on Israel ending all forms of aggression and withdrawing its forces from the enclave.
These opposing preconditions have left the Trump administrations plan mired in a basic standoff over which side must move first. Meanwhile, a Hamas official said Sunday the group reaffirms its commitment to the agreement and is ready to engage seriously and responsibly in implementing the 15-point proposal, calling on mediators to ensure all parties comply.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peaces high representative for Gaza, defended the initiative as the only way forward and urged Israel to give the process a chance. He emphasized the process was designed to be verifiable and reversible, stressing that Israel would not be required to withdraw until Hamas could be verified as taking concrete steps toward disarmament.
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