Netanyahu Rejects Gaza Board of Peace Plan: 'No Withdrawal Unless Hamas is Disarmed'
JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the 15-point plan outlined by President Trump's Gaza Board of Peace intended to create conditions for a full Israeli withdrawal and disarm Hamas.
Netanyahu announced on Sunday, "The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say disarming Hamas, it means the heavy weapons, the less heavy weapons, and the light weapons, all the weapons, and we are talking about real disarmament, not a fictitious disarmament."
The prime minister added, "Additionally, the IDF will continue to thwart threats against our forces and citizens. Because once again, the existence of Israel and the security of all Israeli citizens is not up for negotiation."
The White House is reported not to be worried about Netanyahu's refusal. In an interview with Israel's Channel 12, Gaza Board of Peace representative Nickolay Mladenov noted, "Nobody is required to do anything, last of all, Israel, before we actually have verified steps on the ground."
Hamas claims that is never going to happen.
Ten days ago, a Hamas representative in Iran, Khaled Qaddoumi, was asked on Iranian television if the group would disarm, In a response translated and posted by MEMRI, he replied, "Never. Armed resistance is considered legitimate under international law, because we are living under occupation."
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Regarding Iran, Netanyahu indicated that he appreciates President Trump, but insisted that Israel will take care of Iran's nuclear threat on its own, if need be.
He stated, "And I want to emphasize once again: with or without an agreement, as long as I am Prime Minister, Iran will not possess nuclear weapons."
Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) set preconditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including full compensation for war damages, lifting all sanctions, releasing frozen assets, and withdrawing U.S. forces from the region..
They also demand that the U.S.
- ["N]ever threaten nor insult Iran in any language."
- "[P]ermanently end the war against Iran and Iran's allies in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq."
- Lift the naval blockade and withdraw military forces from the surroundings of Iran.
In an ABC interview with George Stephanopolous, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper says Iran's demands show they believe they have the upper hand.
"They are emboldened and it shows what we're up against after five and a half months of conflict."
At the same time, Iran facing 88 percent inflation. President trump observed in an interview with Axios, "We are low-keying it with Iran."
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a defense pact on Friday, essentially agreeing to band together if any one of them is attacked. Shortly thereafter, Pakistan's defense minister told a local news outlet that "Israel is a threat to the entire Muslim world."
He called for a "united military front" against the Jewish state.
Analyst Jonathan Conricus from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies told CBN News that the alliance calls into question Turkey's loyalty to NATO and whether the U.S. should supply Ankara with advanced American weaponry.
"I think it’s a worrying sign, three countries that allegedly are aligned with the U.S. but are breaking out and deciding to form a separate military strategic alliance. For me, it makes me question their loyalty toward the United States of America."
Conricus added, "And I wonder why Turkey, a significant and lauded NATO member, needs to be in yet another military alliance."
About The Author
Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East. A Hebrew speaker, she has been covering news in Israel fulltime for more than 20 years.
Julie’s life as a journalist has been intertwined with CBN – first as a graduate student in Journalism; then as a journalist with Middle East Television (METV) when it was owned by CBN from 1989-91; and now with the Middle East Bureau of CBN News in Jerusalem since 2009.
As a correspondent for CBN News, Julie has covered Israel’s wars with Gaza, rocket attacks on Israeli communities, stories on the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the Golan Heights, as well as stories on the return of the Jewish people to their biblical homeland and archaeological stories that backup the Bible. She has traveled to Tanzania to cover Israeli doctors giving life-saving heart surgery to children there; to Poland to cover Holocaust-related events; to Paris to cover the Jewish response to the rise in anti-Semitism there; and Portugal to cover events surrounding the Bnei Anusim – Jews forced to convert to Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition, many of whom would now like to be recognized as Jews and return to Israel.
Julie is also an integral part of CBN News’ award-winning “Jerusalem Dateline”, a weekly show about events in the Middle East that is translated into multiple languages and has a broad viewership across the world.
As the Jerusalem Bureau Chief for CNSNews.com, from 1999-2008, Julie covered Israel’s pullout from Lebanon; traveled to both Egypt and Jordan to cover aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; covered the Second Intifadah, from 2000-2005 when terror attacks were sometimes a daily occurrence, Israel’s 2005 Disengagement from Gaza and the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Her work included almost daily contact with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
While working as a news writer for METV, Julie covered the historic fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.
Julie received her bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Florida State University and master’s degree in Journalism from Regent University before heading to Israel, in 1987. She enjoys playing the guitar, having guests for Sabbath Eve meals, exploring, traveling, meeting people and gardening.
