Trump’s Board of Peace reassures Israel after objections on Gaza pullout

JERUSALEM – US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Aug 3 assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza would begin only after Hamas’ complete disarmament, following his objections.

Two members of Netanyahu’s security Cabinet had urged a vote to tear up the deal championed by Trump after the board released a text that called for Israel to begin a phased withdrawal.

Netanyahu’s office said it had raised concerns to the United States, after Trump on July 31 hailed as a “major milestone” an agreement by Hamas to hand over weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee.

Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace, met Netanyahu on Aug 3 for what he acknowledged was difficult work.

But the board said it had reached a “common understanding of the shared objectives” with Israel.

Israel’s withdrawal beyond the Yellow Line, which demarcates the area in which Hamas still has control, “will take place only once decommissioning (of weapons) is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators”, the board said on X.

Even if Israel withdraws under the plan, it would maintain control of much of Gaza under a Trump-led October ceasefire.

Hamas said late on Aug 3 that it was adhering to “what was agreed upon regarding the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, including the commitments of all parties”.

The group was “awaiting a clear and official response” from Mladenov and the mediators on what was agreed upon, according to the statement posted on Telegram.

Trump-Netanyahu gap

Israel had objected to the board’s text on July 30 that called for a phased withdrawal within the territory and the immediate cessation of Israeli strikes in Gaza.

“Israel has conveyed its comments and concerns on the proposed framework to our American counterparts. The version that has been made public does not reflect Israel’s positions,” Doron Spielman, spokesman for the prime minister’s office, told AFP ahead of the Mladenov meeting.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had said that the text was “completely different” to the one presented to Netanyahu’s security Cabinet and, along with a colleague, had demanded that the Cabinet “immediately” hold a new vote on the Gaza plan.

Trump had earlier said that Israel was “very happy” about the disarmament announcement by Hamas, which triggered the war when it carried out the deadliest attack ever against Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

It was the latest sign of disconnect between Trump and Netanyahu, who faces a tough re-election fight in October and has heavily promoted his relationship with the US leader, whom he met again in Washington last week.

Netanyahu’s spokesman said Hamas’ actions since the ceasefire have shown that it was preparing for “further October 7-style massacres”.

“The indispensable first step towards any lasting arrangement is the genuine, verifiable and irreversible demilitarisation of Hamas,” Spielman said.

Backtracking on announcement

Trump and Netanyahu have also been at loggerheads on Iran, with Israel sceptical of his attempts at diplomacy to end the war the two countries launched in late February.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, offered a more upbeat take on Trump’s Gaza efforts, saying the latest development marked “a very positive step with the clear caveat and undertaking that Hamas must be disarmed”.

Mohammad Dahlan, a senior Palestinian political figure who has played a key role in the Gaza plan, said after the Board of Peace roadmap that he had spoken to Trump’s son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner, who told him that Israel would end strikes in Gaza effective Aug 2.

But he quickly revised his social media post, instead saying that Kushner was “working with the Israeli side to halt the attacks” in Gaza.

He later accused Netanyahu of working “to obstruct the most promising opportunity to begin ending this war”.

On the evening of Aug 3, an Israeli strike on a vehicle west of Gaza City killed two Palestinians and injured several others, according to Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for the civil defence rescue service.

The Israeli military told AFP that it targeted two militants in the strike.

On Aug 2, Israeli attacks killed 19 Palestinians, including women and children, according to the civil defence.

Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, which are mediating the truce in Gaza, late on Aug 3 criticised Israel after renewed strikes in the Palestinian territory.

They strongly condemned what they said were “ongoing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, particularly the targeting of health facilities and infrastructure, and the casualties among civilians, including women and children”. AFP