Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said again that he opposes a disarmament deal prepared by Hamas and a peace committee formed under the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the Israeli prime minister's office, Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on the 9th, "Israel rejects the 15-clause document," and noted, "The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not withdraw (from the Gaza Strip) until Hamas is disarmed."
Netanyahu said, "Disarming Hamas means removing all heavy and light weapons," adding, "We are currently discussing this issue with the United States."
He added, "The U.S. side made several proposals, some of which are acceptable and some of which are not," and said, "Israel's existence and the security of Israeli citizens are not up for negotiation."
He went on, "I want to make clear the most important point regarding the Gaza Strip," adding, "As long as I am prime minister, a Palestinian state will not be established in the Gaza Strip or in 'Judea and Samaria' (the West Bank). Neither a 'Fatah-stan' nor a 'Hamas-stan' will be allowed."
The remarks further underscored the Israeli cabinet's existing policy of not accepting the disarmament agreement reached by the peace committee led by Trump and Hamas.
On the 4th, Netanyahu also said, "The Trump administration sent us a draft, but we did not agree," stating that Hamas's disarmament must precede Israel's withdrawal.
The 15-clause agreement that Netanyahu said was unacceptable that day is a separate document from Trump's 20-clause 'Gaza Strip peace initiative,' which Israel agreed to in Oct. last year.
In the agreement that Trump released on the 30th of last month, Hamas would begin disarmament while Israel would halt airstrikes and start a phased withdrawal of troops stationed in the Gaza Strip.
Some analysts say the reason Netanyahu, who has maintained close ties with Trump, is taking a confrontational stance over this deal is the Israeli general election scheduled for Oct. Facing a recent decline in approval ratings, Netanyahu is said to be seeking to rally his base by taking a hard line against a disarmament plan that does not draw support from the coalition government's base.