Trump leans on Israel to okay Gaza peace plan

Trump leans on Israel to okay Gaza peace plan

Trump Gaza peace push really comes down to Israel being the linchpin. A few days ago, he rolled out a 20-point proposal at the White House with Netanyahu right next to him, clearly trying to show the world that Israel was on board. The message was simple that if Israel signs off, Hamas will look cornered if it refuses.

The reality is a bit messier. Israel has technically backed the plan, but not without carving out plenty of wiggle room. Netanyahu’s government is insisting on keeping security control, blocking anything close to full Palestinian sovereignty, and reserving the right to act militarily if Hamas drags its feet. So while Trump is selling it as a “done deal,” Israel’s endorsement is conditional at best.

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Why lean so hard on Israel?

Because without their buy-in, the whole thing collapses. Israel controls Gaza’s borders and airspace. They’re the ones with the leverage to make or break daily life there. By staging this announcement side-by-side, Trump is trying to turn Israel’s support into a pressure campaign against Hamas.

That said, Netanyahu is walking a tightrope. His right-wing base doesn’t trust the deal and thinks it could box Israel in. At the same time, he knows looking cooperative with Washington could shore him up politically. It’s a balancing act between appearing like a statesman abroad and keeping his critics at home from eating him alive.

The plan itself

The plan itself is tough on Hamas: release hostages fast, disarm, give up control of Gaza. In return, there are vague promises about reconstruction and governance, but a lot of the details are fuzzy. Who enforces disarmament? Who actually runs Gaza afterward? Those questions don’t have clear answers, which means Israel retains plenty of room to interpret things however it wants.

Trump’s ultimatum

Trump isn’t hiding his impatience either. He gave Hamas “three or four days” to accept the terms or face what he called a “sad end.” That kind of ultimatum only works if Israel is ready to follow through, which explains why he’s clinging to their backing so tightly.

Where does that leave things?

So where does that leave things? Trump is betting that Israel’s visible support will pressure Hamas and give the plan some legitimacy. But Israel’s support is more about protecting its own interests than giving Trump a blank check. Whether Hamas caves or whether the whole thing fizzles out as political theater will depend less on Trump’s salesmanship and more on how far Israel is really willing to go.