Netanyahu says Israel rejects Board of Peace Gaza disarmament plan

Israel “rejects” the Board of Peace Gaza disarmament roadmap, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pushing back against claims it accepted the US-backed proposal.

“I want to clarify here,” says Netanyahu at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. “Israel rejects the 15-point document.”

The US-backed Board of Peace is trying to move forward with its roadmap for postwar Gaza, which Hamas has accepted. Israeli officials warn that the terror organization is exploiting the process to prevent renewed Israeli military action.

While the security cabinet approved having an International Stabilization Force enter Gaza to disarm Hamas and assume control of the territory, senior Israeli officials and ministers have publicly urged the premier to openly declare that he will not abide by the terms of the plan, which would see the IDF begin to pull back from Gazan territory.

“I heard people saying, ‘You didn’t say so,'” says Netanyahu. “So here I am saying it again: Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say Hamas must be disarmed, I mean the heavy weapons, the less-heavy weapons, all weapons. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one.”

He says that Israel is discussing its reservations with the US. “They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us and some are not acceptable to us, and we know how to stand up to these things. We have proven this in the past, and we are proving it today as well. In addition, the IDF will continue to thwart threats against our forces and against our citizens.”

Netanyahu also stresses that he will never accept a Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank.