Netanyahu Dispatches Envoy to Washington to Defuse Gaza Plan Tensions

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent former Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to Washington in an effort to mend fences with US officials. The move comes as US authorities increasingly believe Israel intends to backtrack on agreements for the second phase of President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, introducing new demands.

Dermer met with US administration officials recently, aiming to "resolve the crisis" that erupted after Israel raised objections to an agreement brokered by mediators and the Board of Peace with Hamas. These objections, concerning the implementation of the US plan for Gaza, were submitted after the agreement's finalization, despite Israel's prior knowledge of the proposal.

Haaretz reported Israel's objections focus on three main points: storing weapons collected from Hamas within Gaza instead of destroying them, excluding Türkiye and Qatar from the monitoring mechanism, and preventing Israel from conducting military operations in areas managed by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the International Stabilization Force. Israeli officials claim these objections stem from changes to the original understandings.

However, political sources attribute Netanyahu's shift to partisan and electoral calculations. Far-right figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strook have publicly campaigned against the agreement, claiming the version presented to Israel differs from the one under discussion. Opposition leaders and Hebrew-language media have also criticized Netanyahu, portraying him as subservient to Trump and lacking the decisiveness of a strong leader.

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resolve the crisis