by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday formally rejected a U.S.-backed 15-point plan for Gaza, declaring that Israeli forces will not withdraw from territory in the Strip until Hamas undergoes what he called complete and genuine disarmament.
“I want to clarify here,” Netanyahu told ministers at the weekly Cabinet meeting. “Israel rejects the 15-point document.” He insisted that Hamas must surrender not merely its heavy weapons but its entire arsenal before Israel considers pulling back.
“When I say Hamas must be disarmed, I mean the heavy weapons, the less-heavy weapons, all weapons,” Netanyahu said, stressing that Israel would accept only “genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one.”
The dispute centers on a roadmap advanced by the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, which seeks to move Gaza toward postwar reconstruction and a new governing structure. Hamas has said it accepts the framework but has stopped short of agreeing to conventional disarmament, instead offering to place its weapons into storage under a Palestinian technocratic administration backed by Washington. Israeli officials have warned that such an arrangement could allow Hamas to preserve its military infrastructure while buying time against renewed Israeli operations.
Netanyahu: Israel Can Say No to Washington
Netanyahu made clear that his rejection of the proposal was not intended as a break with President Donald Trump, whom he described as a strong friend of Israel. But he said Israel’s security requirements would take precedence even when Jerusalem and Washington disagree.
“I have great appreciation for President Trump,” Netanyahu said, pointing to cooperation between the two nations against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Nevertheless, he said Israel knows “how to stand our ground even against our very best friends when necessary.”
Israel continues discussing the Gaza proposal with Washington, Netanyahu said, adding that some American ideas are acceptable while others are not.
The prime minister also reiterated that he would oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state in either Gaza or Judea and Samaria while he remains in office.
Hamas Calls for U.S. Pressure on Israel
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that Hamas remains committed to the roadmap negotiated in Cairo and called on the United States and other mediators to pressure Netanyahu’s government to accept it.
The Israeli government remains deeply skeptical, however, that Hamas intends to permanently relinquish its weapons or political power.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed Netanyahu’s rejection, arguing that Israel entered the war with the central objective of destroying Hamas as both a military organization and governing authority. He said reconstruction should not move forward until Hamas has been completely dismantled and Gaza can no longer threaten southern Israel.
For Jerusalem, the dispute increasingly comes down to a fundamental question: Does Hamas actually disappear as an armed force, or does an international agreement merely rearrange how and where its weapons are held?
Netanyahu made Israel’s position unmistakable Sunday. Israeli forces, he said, will not withdraw on the strength of promises alone.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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