US President Donald Trump offered a brief response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s outright rejection of a 15-point Gaza peace plan drafted by the US-led Peace Council.
Speaking at an event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Trump told reporters, “The relationship is very good.” The remarks came after more than a week of escalating criticism from Netanyahu, who on August 9 formally voiced opposition to the Gaza plan, which calls for Israel to begin withdrawing forces in parallel with a process to disarm Hamas.
According to polls, the Gaza plan has not gained support from Netanyahu’s right-wing base, and far-right members of his cabinet have urged him to reject it.
Late last month, Trump announced a breakthrough in the US-led ceasefire framework, saying that Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza had accepted a phased plan under which they would hand over weapons to a new Palestinian governing body, and Israel would begin withdrawing troops in tandem with the disarmament process to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that began in October 2023.
When the draft was released by the Peace Council on July 31, Netanyahu remained silent for days, only later acknowledging that the Trump administration “sent us a draft” and that he disagreed. However, the August 9 statement marked the first time the Israeli prime minister formally confirmed his refusal to back the plan.
Netanyahu said: “The Israeli military will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is actually disarmed… and will continue to prevent threats to our forces and citizens.” He also asserted that Israel is “in talks with the US on this matter” and declared: “There will be no Palestinian state as long as I am prime minister.”
Netanyahu’s remarks underscore the growing public policy rift between the US and Israel over Tel Aviv’s hardline strategy. Al Jazeera correspondent Patty Culhane in Washington observed that Netanyahu is playing a “very dangerous game” with Trump, as Israel increasingly loses support in the US, with the Democratic Party “tilting decisively toward the Palestinian cause.”
On August 10, a Peace Council official said the Gaza plan remains in effect. “The process is based on implementation and verification on the ground. Discussions with Israel are ongoing, and the framework is designed so that each phase only advances when commitments are met. The roadmap is between the Peace Council and Hamas, and talks with Israel are still underway. Israel is not asked to rely on trust or to take irreversible steps before steps are verified on the ground,” the official told Reuters.
Al Jazeera reached out to the White House and the US State Department for comment on Netanyahu’s remarks but had not received a response at the time of publication.
