Trump's Gaza peace plan: How Netanyahu banks on winning back estranged allies, repair political base at home
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support for Donald Trump’s Gaza plan is a gamble that may win back estranged allies abroad and repair his political base at home but risks a battle with coalition partners opposed to any hint of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu, aligning himself with Trump, framed the plan as a joint effort that advances his government’s goals while shifting international criticism about the war onto Hamas, which must now choose between accepting it or facing continued siege.
The move could shore up Netanyahu’s support at home by ending an increasingly unpopular war and winning the release of hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group, bolstering his chances at elections due in a year’s time.
But the plan’s reference to a Palestinian state is likely to antagonise members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, where ultra-nationalist allies Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich hold outsized influence.
Nadav Shtrauchler, a former adviser to Netanyahu, called the deal a “win-win” for the prime minister, saying that it shifts all the pressure onto Hamas while easing international scrutiny of Israel, and leaves coalition critics with no alternative.
“For him, it’s checkmate. It’s a very strong move,” he said, that could see Netanyahu enter the next election with the hostages released and Israel’s push to expand ties with Arab and Muslim nations, a process derailed by the war in Gaza, revived.
Trump’s proposal, quickly endorsed by leaders across the Arab and Muslim world, asks little of Israel in the short........
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