Netanyahu’s public rejection of the Gaza plan is primarily linked to the upcoming election, according to his former associate, Mitchell Barak. This is reported by Al Jazeera.
Describing this as an initial stance rather than Netanyahu’s final position, Barak noted that the rejection was announced during a cabinet meeting at a time when Netanyahu and his “far-right government” have little time left in power.
Barak stated that this move was aimed at his political base rather than at Washington.
He added that he still expects Israel to accept Trump’s plan, sooner or later. He framed the rejection not as a permanent rift with the US, but rather as a matter of “sequencing and timing” tied to the disarmament of Hamas.
He argued that Netanyahu’s key bargaining chip ahead of the election is his relationship with Trump—described as the “best relationship with any world leader”—and that Netanyahu does not want to lose it.
