OCCUPIED AL-QUDS: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel did not agree to the US-backed plan for Gaza, even after receiving assurances that an Israeli pullout would only happen after Hamas disarms.
The Palestinian Islamist movement, meanwhile, reiterated its commitment to the roadmap published by US President Donald Trump´s Board of Peace last week, which includes provisions for the group to hand over its weapons and an Israeli withdrawal.
In a video posted to his social media accounts on Tuesday night, Netanyahu said Trump´s team “believes that they can bring about the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarisation of Gaza”.
“We are checking this. They sent us a draft -- we did not agree to it, it is not our draft. We sent our comments,” he said.
Speaking at an event Wednesday, Netanyahu, who faces a tough re-election fight in October, said that Trump “is our greatest friend, one of the greatest friends we have had in the White House”.
But he added: “I also wish to make clear: Israel´s existence is not subject to negotiation.”
After Israel voiced objections to the initial roadmap, the Board of Peace met with Netanyahu on Monday, assuring him that the Israeli military would only be required to leave its current positions in Gaza after Hamas´s “complete” disarmament.
But pressure has been growing on the premier from the right flank of his ruling coalition, with two far-right ministers requesting a new vote to reject the plan, saying it did not reflect what the cabinet approved.
The request from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strook to hold a new vote should be viewed merely “as a campaign move” to put pressure on Netanyahu, according to Tal Elovits, a researcher at Israeli think tank Molad.
But with Israel and Netanyahu looking increasingly isolated on the international stage, the country has little possibility of tearing up the US-sponsored plan, Elovits added. “Netanyahu has no other option besides listening to his only friend left in the diplomatic community,” he said, referring to Trump.
