Netanyahu Rejects US Gaza Plan; Trump Defends 'Good' Ties
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- Netanyahu formally rejected the US-led Board of Peace's 15-point Gaza plan on Sunday, declaring the Israeli army 'will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed' and vowing 'no Palestinian state will arise as long as I am prime minister.'
- Trump responded to a shouted question in the Oval Office by insisting his relationship with Netanyahu is 'very good,' even as the rejection marks a growing public policy rift between the US and Israel over Tel Aviv's hard-power strategy.
- Netanyahu had gradually escalated criticism of the plan for over a week before Sunday's formal refusal; far-right members of his cabinet had urged him to kill it, and polls show the plan is unpopular with his right-wing base.
- The Board of Peace released the blueprint on July 31, and Trump announced a breakthrough at the end of last month after Hamas and other armed groups accepted a phased framework under which they would surrender weapons to a new Palestinian governing body.
- A Board of Peace official told Reuters on Monday the Gaza plan 'is still operative,' saying the roadmap is between the Board and Hamas, discussions with Israel are continuing, and Israel is 'not being asked to make irreversible moves before verified steps are taken on the ground.'
- Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reported from Washington that Netanyahu is playing a 'very dangerous game' with Trump, noting Israel is growing increasingly unpopular in the US as the Democratic Party 'very much sliding towards the Palestinian cause.'
Why it matters: Netanyahu's public rejection of a US-drafted plan—coupled with his vow against a Palestinian state—creates a visible split with the Trump administration just weeks after Trump announced a ceasefire breakthrough. With far-right cabinet pressure at home and growing Democratic sympathy for Palestinians, Netanyahu's hardline stance puts the phased disarmament framework in jeopardy while testing how long Trump will publicly defend an ally actively undermining his own initiative.
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