Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, after kowtowing to Donald Trump as much as he could, has finally severed the knot. Bibi has made it official — he rejects President Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace plan.
You could see the tension between the two building — Trump yelling at Bibi to quit countering the Hezbollah assault from Lebanon, Bibi announcing Israeli forces would not withdraw from the Gaza Strip unless Hamas honestly disarms, Netanyahu repeatedly hankering for further Israeli attacks on Iran, just to mention a few.
Now the PM’s view on withdrawal hinging on true disarmament has morphed into a complete rejection of the Trump peace initiative:
“Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say the disarmament of Hamas, I mean heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, light weapons, all the weapons. We are talking about genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one.”
A couple of weeks ago, an ebullient Trump announced that peace is breaking out all over in the Gaza Peninsula after Hamas told the Board of Peace it would disarm. That statement was immediately clarified by both the Board and Hamas. The latter said it would store its arms in a warehouse for ready retrieval, but disarming — “Hell, no, we won’t go” that far.
Netanyahu also said he is open to further negotiations with D.C.: “We are currently discussing this issue with the Americans. They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand firm on these matters.”
Responding to Netanyahu’s remarks, Hamas said it remains committed to the deal. Trump has yet to comment.
