Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel did not agree to the plan regarding Gaza, supported by the USA, even despite assurances that the withdrawal of Israeli troops would occur only after the disarmament of HAMAS.
In a video published on his social media on the evening of August 4, Netanyahu noted that the team of US President Donald Trump “believes they can achieve the disarmament of HAMAS and the demilitarization of Gaza.” He added: “We are checking this. They sent us the project – we did not agree with it, this is not our project. We sent our comments.”
On August 3, Netanyahu met with the Board of Peace, which operates with the support of the USA, and received guarantees that the Israeli army would leave its current positions in Gaza only after the disarmament of HAMAS. However, pressure on the prime minister from the right wing of his ruling coalition to reject the agreement is growing.
Disputes around the peace plan
On August 4, two far-right ministers demanded a new vote on the plan, stating that it does not correspond to the initial agreements. The Security Cabinet of Israel, which includes these two ministers, has already voted for this proposal, which includes, among other things, the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu had intended to convene his security cabinet on August 4, but the meeting was postponed to August 6, as reported by Israeli media. This happened against the backdrop of a preliminary vote in his Likud party ahead of the elections on October 27, where he faces a fierce struggle.
The request by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock for a new vote can only be seen as “an election move” aimed at pressuring Netanyahu, according to Tal Elovitz, a researcher at the Israeli think tank Molad.
“Israeli right-wingers have always tried to avoid a scenario in which this conflict becomes international. Obviously, the behavior of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will be different when there are soldiers from Kosovo, from Indonesia“ and other countries, said Elovitz.
Isolation of Israel and US pressure
However, Israel does not have a real opportunity to refuse the plan initiated by the USA, considering the country’s isolation on the international stage, added Elovitz. “Netanyahu has no other choice but to listen to his only friend left in the diplomatic community,” he said, referring to Trump. Elovitz noted that “Netanyahu is not a very active player here – he can be active in trying to block some ideas, but Israel is not offering anything.”
The pressure from the USA on Israel to restrain attacks in Gaza ahead of the partial withdrawal of troops according to the plan seems to be yielding results. According to reports from Haaretz and other Israeli media, troops have been ordered to obtain permission for strikes from the Chief of the General Staff if they are not in “immediate danger” – a change in policy compared to previous directives, according to which attacks required only the approval of the head of the regional command.
The Israeli military, when asked by AFP, redirected the agency to the “political echelon” for comment. A spokesman for Netanyahu declined to comment.
