{"id":2464,"date":"2026-08-11T18:15:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T18:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2464"},"modified":"2026-08-11T18:15:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T18:15:15","slug":"in-rejecting-trumps-gaza-plan-netanyahu-reprises-a-balancing-act-he-has-mastered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2464","title":{"rendered":"In rejecting Trump\u2019s Gaza plan, Netanyahu reprises a balancing act he has mastered"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s possibly the most important job of any Israeli prime minister: maintain good relations with the United States while pushing back on demands seen as undermining Israel\u2019s security.<\/p>\n

Read more Former US Marine held in Russia for more than 4 years on disputed charges has been released<\/a><\/p>\n

No one has managed the balancing act longer than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/span>, Israel\u2019s longest-serving leader. But with the Iran war<\/span> at a stalemate, and U.S. President Donald Trump<\/span> looking to advance peace efforts elsewhere<\/span>, Netanyahu\u2019s task is getting harder less than three months away from Israeli elections<\/span>. <\/p>\n

On Sunday, Netanyahu rejected Trump\u2019s latest plan<\/span> to advance the stalled ceasefire in Gaza<\/span>, saying Israel will not withdraw from any of the roughly 60% of the territory it controls until Hamas has been completely disarmed \u2014 something the militant group controlling the other 40% has long resisted.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu risks angering Trump, who he has repeatedly said is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. But even a hint of compromise with Hamas could be fatal for Netanyahu\u2019s reelection in a country deeply traumatized by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that happened on his watch<\/span>. <\/p>\n

Trump, meanwhile, is under pressure to deliver on his promise of being a global peacemaker<\/span> as talks with Iran stall and gas prices stay elevated ahead of U.S. congressional elections in November.<\/p>\n

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Netanyahu says there will be no progress on Gaza ceasefire until Hamas disarms<\/h2>\n

The Gaza plan announced by Trump<\/span> last month grew out of his October ceasefire deal, which ended major Israeli military operations there and brought about the release of all remaining hostages<\/span> but has otherwise largely stalled.<\/p>\n

Under the latest agreement, Hamas would gradually give up its weapons while Israeli forces halt their attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza. Hamas accepted the deal, even as the group linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel\u2019s current government and most of its political class adamantly reject.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu rejected the plan, saying Israel would not retreat from any of its positions in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed. That would leave other elements of the ceasefire, including the deployment of international forces<\/span> and any reconstruction of the devastated territory<\/span>, on hold.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Israeli military seems to have eased off on its strikes on Gaza that have killed over 1,250 people since the ceasefire came into effect, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry.<\/p>\n

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Israeli media reported that the authority for carrying out strikes has been limited to the army\u2019s chief of staff, apparently in a quiet gesture toward Trump\u2019s ceasefire efforts. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are focused on actions, not rhetoric or politics,\u201d an official with the Board of Peace, the Trump-led entity overseeing the ceasefire, told The Associated Press. \u201cThere have been some results on the ground in the last few days,\u201d the official added, including \u201crestraint from strikes\u201d and new Israeli military procedures. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is constructive cooperation behind the scenes and our conversations continue,\u201d the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the ongoing discussions.<\/p>\n

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