Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objections to the US peace plan, the White House is not looking to engage in open conflict over the issue for now. The Trump administration has adopted a strategy of gradually advancing its diplomatic goals while tolerating Israel’s position to some extent.
White House officials say what Israel is actually doing is more important to them than Netanyahu’s rhetoric. The United States, while initially disappointed by the escalation of attacks in Gaza, is now seeing the reduction in the level of Israeli attacks as a positive.
The proposed 15-point plan calls for Hamas to disarm, withdraw from Gaza, and a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops. However, major complications have arisen over the order in which the promises will be implemented. Hamas says disarmament must be linked to the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Netanyahu, on the other hand, says Israel will not withdraw troops from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed.
A White House source said Netanyahu is in a difficult political situation ahead of the next election. He needs to show a tough stance to maintain the support of right-wing allies. Therefore, despite publicly rejecting the peace plan, Washington hopes that behind the scenes discussions and progress can continue on some parts of the plan.
The US administration believes that convincing Hamas to disarm in principle is an important step forward. However, Israel has deep doubts about the extent to which Hamas will actually fulfill that promise. Because of this, the entire process is still uncertain.
The Board of Peace, which is involved in the plan, said separate talks with Israel were ongoing and the plan was still in effect, despite Netanyahu’s public objections. Their goal is to disarm Gaza and pave the way for a future Israeli withdrawal from there.
However, this stance also raises concerns among US allies, who fear that if Israel does not come under any major pressure despite publicly rejecting the US peace plan, it could undermine US diplomatic influence in the Middle East.
Overall, the White House does not see Netanyahu’s public rejection as a final failure of the peace initiative for now. Washington’s strategy is to continue negotiations behind the scenes despite public opposition and move towards a compromise step by step. However, the path to long-term peace in Gaza will remain difficult unless the two sides resolve their fundamental differences on the issue of Hamas’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
