When Binyamin Netanyahu formally rejected Donald Trump’s latest plan to end the conflict in Gaza on Sunday, Israel and the US seemed to be heading for another public falling out.
Last month Trump announced a breakthrough involving the withdrawal of Israeli forces as Hamas disarms and an International Stabilisation Force working with a new Palestinian police force to secure the enclave.
But the Israeli prime minister dismissed the 15-point plan, which is overseen by the US president’s Board of Peace, in a televised address.
However, the reaction from Washington to Netanyahu’s comments has been muted and, on the ground, plans are going ahead to implement the next stages of the ceasefire, albeit at a slow pace.
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The apparent contradiction is explained by the upcoming Israeli election. Netanyahu wants to be seen as taking a tough stand against Hamas and insists on no concessions until the militant group fully disarms. But in reality it’s business as usual, for now at least.
“We understand Bibi’s political needs. We have no problem with it as long as he continues to do what we ask – especially regarding restraining attacks in Gaza,” a US official told the American Axios website, consistently a reliable conduit for White House messaging on Middle East affairs.
US officials also noted that Israel has in fact halted, or at least significantly curtailed, strikes in Gaza in recent days, stopping targeted killings.
Nickolay Mladenov, a Board of Peace Gaza envoy, also said the ceasefire remains on track, arguing that the plan’s full implementation was Israel’s only “guarantee” of preventing a repeat of the October 7th, 2023, militant attack on southern Israel and that it will be based on verifiable steps, rather than mutual trust.
“What happened on October 7th will never, ever be allowed to happen, as long as we have a full implementation ... The option that we are offering today is the only way that we move forward that guarantees that this tragedy will not occur again,” he told Israel’s Channel 12 television a few hours after Netanyahu’s rejection.
He said Israel is not expected to immediately withdraw its troops from their positions. “Nobody is required to do anything – last of all Israel – before we actually have verified steps on the ground,” Mladenov said.
“If there is verified decommissioning of weapons, that they are taken away from the factions, and stored, and ultimately rendered unusable, Israel then withdraws from Gaza.”
According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Israel’s defence establishment has not received instructions to freeze preparations for the next phase.
A source at the US headquarters in southern Israel told the broadcaster that work is expected to begin on August 30th to establish the first base in Rafah for a multinational force as part of preparations for the agreement’s next stage.
Last week the Board of Peace for Gaza issued its first construction contract, a provisional deal to build a rudimentary military outpost for 150 Moroccan troops inside the territory, the first contingent of the International Stabilisation Force.
Its facility will be built in an Israeli-controlled section of Gaza about 1.6km from the Israeli border and have a “quick extraction route” to evacuate the small force if it comes under attack.
A much larger military base, to accommodate some 5,000 stabilisation force peacekeepers, is planned once countries commit more troops.
Despite Netanyahu’s rejection, Hamas reaffirmed that it remains committed to the Board of Peace plan.
The movement said it was prepared to engage “positively and responsibly” in implementing the 15-point framework and establishing a clear timetable for its provisions, including a complete ceasefire, an end to Israeli attacks, full Israeli withdrawal, the reopening of Gaza’s crossings and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid and shelter materials.
