Netanyahu defies Trump: "It's in a bad way"

 

Emil Forsberg 

Published 15.51

Israel does not intend to withdraw from Gaza, according to Benjamin Netanyahu.

First, Hamas must hand over its weapons.

- That means all weapons, says the Israeli prime minister.

Israel is rejecting Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza.

It included a ceasefire, demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The stalled negotiations are mainly based on who should do what first. Whether Hamas should lay down its weapons or whether Israel should withdraw.

- The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say disarmament of Hamas, it means heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, all weapons. And we are talking about real disarmament, not pretend disarmament, says Benjamin Netanyahu.

Middle East expert Alexander Atarodi is not surprised.

– It was quite obvious. It was not in Netanyahu's interest to withdraw. The whole "Bibi" trip to the White House was a bit of a tactical game to shift the focus from the Iran war, where there is now a stalemate, he says.

According to the Israeli prime minister, the decision has been discussed with American officials.

– They have ideas, some of them are acceptable to us and some are not acceptable to us. We know how to stand firm on our opinions on these issues, says Netanyahu.

And there the Israeli prime minister is clear:

– As long as I am prime minister, no Palestinian state will be established – neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria.

That Netanyahu chooses to defy Donald Trump and the Peace Council right now is no coincidence, says Atarodi.

– Of course it is a loss for Trump. Netanyahu knows that Trump is in a bad place in public opinion in the United States. At the same time, Israel realizes that the entire region is about to change with pacts between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, he says and continues:

- Israel sees it as a sign that US influence in the region is weakening and that it must position itself. Netanyahu has the knife to his throat now so it is not in his interest to be loyal to Trump.