Netanyahu is caught between Trump and his Coalition
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- A Gaza resident expressed optimism for a peace deal and reconstruction amid the ongoing conflict, despite multiple displacements.
- Hamas has offered to surrender weapons and transfer authority if Israel withdraws, a proposal complicated by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's political pressures.
- Netanyahu faces conflicting demands from the U.S. for a deal and from his own far-right allies who oppose any agreement with Hamas.
In a sweltering tent camp in west Gaza City, Ahmed Ibrahim Suweirki, 67, clings to optimism for peace and reconstruction. Displaced multiple times since October 7, he hopes Hamas will surrender its weapons due to the "suffering of its people."
God willing, things will be better. I have hope that Hamas will surrender its weapons, because of the suffering of its people. We're tired, exhausted and slaughtered. It is enough.
Suweirki's hope is tempered by past failed agreements. Hamas has stated it will disarm, but only if Israel withdraws from Gaza and halts its attacks. This condition is central to the dilemma facing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But many agreements have been announced and went into thin air.
Netanyahu is caught between U.S. President Donald Trump, who reportedly wants a deal with Hamas, and his own ultra-conservative coalition partners, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. These hardliners reject the idea of a Palestinian state and advocate for annexing Gaza and displacing its residents.
The fact that Hamas has tentatively agreed to relinquish its weapons is in of itself a fairly historic development.
"They will push him to renege," said Gershon Baskin, an Israeli writer who has negotiated with Hamas. However, Baskin also noted that Netanyahu "won't because he'll be under pressure from Trump." The prime minister's relationship with Trump is seen as a key strategic asset for the upcoming Israeli elections.
That being said, it is completely contingent on Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and stopping ongoing attacks there.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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