Netanyahu Rejects Trump’s 15-Point Gaza Peace Plan

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected a US-backed, 15-point Gaza peace plan during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, declaring that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from the territory until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.

Cabinet Rejection and Security Demands

Speaking to his ministers on Sunday, Netanyahu stated precisely that Israel does not accept the 15-point document championed by Washington, according to The Guardian. The prime minister insisted that military operations and force deployments will continue until militant infrastructure is dismantled entirely. He emphasized that any disarmament must target heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, and all other armaments without exception, ruling out what he termed fictitious disarmament.

The rejected roadmap, announced last month following months of negotiations through Trump’s Board of Peace, envisioned a phased implementation process, according to BBC coverage. Under that framework, all armed groups in Gaza were meant to decommission their arsenals under the supervision of a new Palestinian administration reporting to the Board of Peace, while Israeli forces would withdraw from more than 60 percent of the territory they currently control.

Political Pressures and Coalition Dynamics

Netanyahu’s public stance follows weeks of hesitation by the Israeli government following the initial US announcement, reflecting a delicate political tightrope between maintaining alignment with Washington and satisfying right-wing coalition partners. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly dismissed the draft on social media as unacceptable, while mainstream opposition politicians similarly questioned the sequencing of the plan and the verification mechanisms for small arms.

Despite declining the current framework, Netanyahu acknowledged Trump as the greatest of friends in the White House while maintaining that Israel knows how to stand firm against unacceptable ideas. According to BBC reporting, discussions between Israeli and US officials remain ongoing regarding alternative approaches to security and enforcement in the strip, with Nickolay Mladenov, a senior diplomat tasked with implementing the peace plan, defending the initiative as the only viable path forward to prevent future attacks.