Netanyahu greenlights Trump’s Gaza plan but doubts role for Palestinian Authority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he supports US President Donald Trump’s newly announced 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza but also expressed doubt over both Palestinian Authority involvement and the prospect of Palestinian statehood.

“I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims,” Netanyahu said during a joint press conference at the White House.

He added that the plan still needs to be approved by Israel’s Cabinet.

He outlined Israel’s vision for Gaza under the plan, requiring the immediate return of all hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the territory’s demilitarization.

He said Israel would retain “security responsibility, including a security perimeter for the foreseeable future” while Gaza would be governed by a peaceful, civilian administration “neither by Hamas nor by the Palestinian Authority.”

If Hamas accepted, Israel would begin a “modest withdrawal” with hostages released within 72 hours, he said. He warned that if Hamas rejects the plan, “Israel will finish the job by itself.”

He rejected any Palestinian Authority (PA) role in Gaza without “a fundamental transformation,” including an end to what he called the “pay to slay” policy -- a term he used to describe PA stipends to families of prisoners and those killed in conflict with Israel.

He also cited changing school textbooks, halting international legal action against Israel at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, and recognizing Israel.

Trump said during the press conference that the Israeli leader was “very clear about his opposition to a Palestinian state … and I understand that.”

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.