Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resigned, insisting that Israel will ensure that Hamas is disarmed regardless of any change in Washington’s stance.
Reports in Israeli media have indicated that the United States is considering removing a demand for Hamas to disarm from President Donald Trump’s 20-point Middle East peace plan. According to the Times of Israel, the White House is finding it difficult to secure international commitments for peacekeepers to enforce the demilitarization of Gaza.
“In the 20-point plan and in any other case, this area will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed – either the easy way or the hard way,” Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting.
“That’s what I said and that’s what President Trump said.”
Continued uncertainty about the ceasefire
The remarks come as questions remain over the stability of the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Hamas has repeatedly said it will not relinquish its arms or authority in Gaza until a clear path to Palestinian statehood is guaranteed — a condition Netanyahu continues to flatly reject.
Trump insists on consequences for Hamas
President Trump has repeatedly warned Hamas to disarm or face “severe consequences” and stressed that an international coalition would be deployed to enforce the demilitarization of Gaza under his peace plan.
The UN Security Council voted on Monday
Attention now shifts to Monday’s UN Security Council vote, where member states will consider accepting Trump’s peace deal. The draft resolution says that “conditions can finally be created for a credible path” to Palestinian statehood once the war ends.
Israel is trying to dilute the language of statehood
Israeli media reported that Israel is lobbying the United States and other members of the UN Security Council to soften the wording on Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu reiterated his longstanding opposition to such a move.
“Our opposition to a Palestinian state anywhere west of the Jordan River is firm and has not changed at all,” he said.
