Netanyahu's Gaza Rejection Tests His Mastered Balancing Act With Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected the latest US-backed plan to advance the stalled Gaza ceasefire, insisting that Israel will not withdraw from the roughly 60% of the territory it controls until Hamas is completely disarmed. The militant group, which holds the remaining 40%, has long resisted such a demand.

The move places Netanyahu in a familiar but increasingly precarious position: balancing the need to maintain strong ties with Washington against domestic political pressures. With Israeli elections less than three months away, any perceived concession to Hamas could be politically damaging for a leader still facing scrutiny over the October 2023 attack.

President Donald Trump, who Netanyahu has called Israel's greatest White House ally, is under his own pressure to deliver on a promise of global peacemaking. With talks on Iran at a stalemate and domestic fuel prices elevated, Trump is seeking a tangible foreign policy win.

The plan, announced last month, builds on an earlier ceasefire that ended major Israeli military operations and secured the release of hostages. It proposes a gradual disarmament of Hamas in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal. While Hamas accepted the deal, it linked the surrender of its heavy weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, a condition Israel's government rejects.

Despite the public rejection, there are signs of quiet cooperation. Israeli media report that the authority to launch strikes in Gaza has been restricted to the army's chief of staff, a move seen as a gesture toward the ceasefire effort. An official with the Trump-led entity overseeing the ceasefire noted "restraint from strikes" and constructive behind-the-scenes discussions.

Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners, essential to his political survival, have welcomed his hardline stance. However, analysts suggest the rift with Trump could complicate his campaign. "A few months ago, a significant majority of Israelis assumed that when President Trump is making decisions, he's taking Israeli security interests into account. This is no longer the case," said Yohanan Plesner of the Israel Democracy Institute.

Netanyahu has a long history of defying US presidents, but the stakes are higher now. Israel's military campaigns have left it diplomatically isolated, making the American alliance more critical than ever. As one analyst put it, if Trump insists on the plan, Netanyahu may have no choice but to "tag along" given Israel's limited diplomatic options.