Middle East: Netanyahu rejects US plan for Gaza and Palestinian state
The 15-point document of the Gaza peace council is being rejected by Israel. Netanyahu reaffirms: Withdrawal will only be considered after complete disarmament of Hamas.
Jerusalem. Israel rejects the Gaza peace council's roadmap for the disarmament of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas and Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. "Israel rejects the 15-point document," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "The Israeli army will not make any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed," Netanyahu also said, referring explicitly to all weapons, not just heavy ones. In addition, the Prime Minister reiterated his rejection of an independent Palestinian state.
The Peace Council, however, announced just under a week ago that it expects Israel to withdraw completely from the coastal strip only after Hamas has been disarmed. According to the Peace Council's roadmap, Israel and Hamas are to cease fighting. A Palestinian transitional administration, with the support of an international stabilization force, is to take control of administration and security.
A withdrawal of the Israeli army is also planned. The weapons handed over by Hamas under international supervision are to remain under Palestinian control. However, Israel rejects this and demands that the weapons must be removed from Palestinian territory.
Translated by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report; automated translation may contain errors. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
