Just days before an anticipated meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latter accused the Hamas movement of refusing to disarm in violation of the ceasefire agreement, amid talk of an Israeli refusal to move to the second phase before Hamas is disarmed.
Netanyahu’s statements come after an announcement in an area under his full control.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will seek Trump’s support to turn the Yellow Line into a new border area, indicating an Israeli desire to seize land from the Gaza Strip, a direction that appears to clash with declared American opposition seeking to move to the second phase of the agreement.
Israel’s Impossible Conditions
Regarding the occupation’s handling of the agreement’s requirements across its various stages, the Israeli position so far is based on maneuvering and creating difficulties and obstacles to completing the first phase of the ceasefire.
It is pointed out that Israel is obstructing the entry of aid, hindering the start of reconstruction, continuing to control large parts of the Gaza Strip, and signaling it will not move to the second phase until the implementation of “”.
It is clarified that Israel is looking for pretexts to sabotage the agreement in its second phase, especially after it became certain it was out of the danger zone represented by international and European sanctions, the decline in international protest against it, and its recovery of most of the hostages alive and dead except for one body still in the Strip.
Within this framework, statements by the Security Minister concerning resettlement are read, before he backtracked on them under pressure from the U.S. administration, noting the existence of serious hints within Israel to turn the “Yellow Line” into a permanent border.
Internally, it is seen that the second and third phases require Palestinian national consensus, warning that competition to please Washington by making concessions will not serve the Palestinian national project.
For his part, it is noted that many hopes were pinned on the hostage and prisoner exchange leading to a cessation of fighting and a move towards peace, but these hopes were shattered due to obstacles related to the future governance of Gaza and ensuring it is not rearmed or engages in new activities.
It is added that “this file represents the main stumbling block, given that Hamas has not shown signs of completely abandoning its role, versus an Israeli insistence that this step is necessary to move forward.”
Regarding whether Trump might agree to Israeli demands not to withdraw from the Yellow Line until after disarmament, it is stated that this is not believed, pointing out that Trump is determined to weaken Hamas as a military force, but is unsure if he aligns with the border redrawing plans desired by Netanyahu.
It is added that gradually reducing Hamas’s authority might be possible.
It is suggested that Trump will prevent Netanyahu from any return to war, explaining that the U.S. President will exert pressure in this direction behind the scenes and not publicly, aiming to de-escalate in Gaza and avoid a return to fighting.
No Clashes Between Trump and Netanyahu
For his part, it is said that talk of disagreements between Trump and Netanyahu does not necessarily mean a real political clash, considering that Netanyahu sometimes employs these issues to market himself internally to right-wing bases as a leader who does not yield to American dictates.
It is pointed out from Haifa that Netanyahu previously fabricated similar clashes with former U.S. President Joe Biden to strengthen his internal position, confirming that a real rift with Trump is not expected, but rather a raising of demands to reach a compromise.
It is explained that Netanyahu deliberately ignites all fronts ahead of the meeting with Trump aiming to bargain between them, talking about a consensus within the Israeli government on these files related to Gaza and the absence of real parliamentary or even popular opposition to such matters.
It is added that there is agreement between the political and military establishment and the Security Ministry on not withdrawing from the Yellow Line and the necessity of disarming Hamas, confirming, on the other hand, that moving to the second phase does not serve Netanyahu’s political interest and could harm him.
