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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected President Trump’s plans to disarm Hamas and establish a Palestinian government in Gaza.
“I have heard people saying: ‘You didn’t say it.’ So here I am saying it again: Israel does not accept the 15-point document. The IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed,” Netanyahu said during a Sunday Cabinet meeting.
“And when I say the disarming of Hamas, it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” he added, noting that Israel was in talks with the U.S. regarding the “issue.”
The prime minister said some of the presented ideas “are acceptable to us” and others are “unacceptable, and we know how to stand firm against these things.”
One of the firm objections remains the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“As for the Gaza Strip: First and foremost, I wish to clarify the main point: As long as I am Prime Minister, a Palestinian state will not be established, neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.
His comments mark a rare break with Trump, who has twice backed Netanyahu on strikes in Iran while supporting billions in funding for foreign military assistance.
Last month, the president touted a “historic” deal brokered by the Board of Peace, with outlined steps toward stability that would require Israeli forces to withdraw from the area while allowing the International Stabilization Force to work with a new Palestinian police force and government.
“Through this process, the parties aim at ending the cycle of destruction, securing the complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip, restoring normal life, enabling Palestinian governance, reconstruction, security, recovery and economic development, rehabilitating damaged sectors and facilitate launching a credible political path that achieves self-determination and Statehood,” says a 15-point road map posted to the social platform X.
Hours after posting the deal, Trump said Israel was pleased with the plan.
“We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel is very happy about it. Israel helped us. They’ve been very good,” Trump told reporters at his Cabinet meeting at Camp David last month.
However, one U.S. official noted that at the time Israel shared skepticism about Hamas’ ability to commit to the agreement.
“They’re very skeptical that Hamas will disarm. But again, they’re not really being asked to do much in the process because this isn’t really a trust deal. This is really, you know, it’s a conditions-based deal. And as things happen, that everyone has to follow the obligations they’ve taken,” the official said.
Senior Hamas officials have repeatedly pledged to disarm if a Palestinian government was established in the region.
“We are ready to hand over government, we are ready to be totally away from any government or governing body, but when it comes to Hamas as an entity…,” Senior Hamas official Dr. Basem Naim told Sky News last October.
“Our weapons are going to be handed over only to the hands of a Palestinian state and our fighters can be integrated into the Palestinian National Army.”
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