Netanyahu ties Gaza exit to disarming Hamas, rejects Trump plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Sunday a Gaza plan backed by Donald Trump, saying Israel would not withdraw its forces until Hamas is “genuinely” disarmed.

After more than a week of gradually escalating criticism of the plan, Netanyahu explicitly opposed it as he faced pushback from his right-wing base ahead of elections.

“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said, referring to a plan endorsed by Hamas in late July.

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,” Netanyahu said at a Cabinet meeting.

The document, the latest stage in a U.S.-led ceasefire announced in October that has reduced but not ended Israeli operations in Gaza, said Hamas would surrender weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing body.

The plan said Israel would begin pulling out forces in tandem with the disarmament, an idea adamantly rejected by Israel, which also wants Hamas to destroy its weapons.

After meeting Netanyahu last week, Trump’s body implementing the deal, dubbed the Board of Peace, backtracked and said Israel would only need to withdraw after “complete” disarmament.

Earlier Saturday, Hamas said it remained ready to move forward with the U.S.-backed plan, while urging pressure on Israel, which maintains it did not agree to the deal’s latest provisions.

“Hamas and other factions have confirmed to mediators their readiness to begin implementing the agreement and move to the second phase, provided it receives Israeli approval and that Israel begins implementing the agreement,” a Hamas official told AFP.

“Hamas is urging the U.S. administration to exert pressure on Israel to compel it to abide by the agreement and move to the second phase,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Trump last week had hailed as a breakthrough that Hamas had agreed to disarmament under the plan, with the Board of Peace saying Israel would in tandem carry out a phased withdrawal from much of Gaza.

However, Netanyahu, who according to polls is in a tight race to stay in power, has faced calls from his far-right allies to hold a new Cabinet vote and end the Gaza plan.

Netanyahu said that Israel was speaking with the U.S. about its objections.

“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,” he said.

Netanyahu said that Hamas must give up all of its weapons, a goal that Board of Peace members say is not realistically achievable.

“We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” Netanyahu said.

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