Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a Gaza plan hailed by US President Donald Trump, vowing no military pullout until Palestinian resistance group Hamas is "genuinely" disarmed.
"Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF (Israeli army) will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, referring to the Israeli military.
The document, the latest stage in a US-led ceasefire announced in October that has reduced but not ended Israeli aggressions in Gaza, said Hamas would surrender weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing body.
The plan said Israel would begin pulling out forces in tandem with the disarmament, an idea rejected by Israel, which also wants Hamas to destroy its weapons.
After meeting Netanyahu last week, Trump's body implementing the deal, dubbed the Board of Peace, backtracked and said Israel would only need to withdraw after "complete" disarmament.
‘Stand our ground’ against US-deal
Netanyahu, who according to polls is in a tight race to stay in power, has faced calls from his far-right allies to hold a new cabinet vote and end the Gaza plan.
Netanyahu said that Israel was speaking with the United States about its objections.
"They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not, and we know how to stand our ground on these matters," he said.
Netanyahu said that Hamas must give up all of its weapons.
"We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament," Netanyahu said.
















