Netanyahu does not worry Trump, 'the plan for Gaza holds'

Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of the Board of Peace's roadmap for the Gaza Strip does not seem to have aroused, at least so far, Donald Trump's anger. Also because everything seems to indicate that during the face-to-face meeting between the two at the White House at the end of July, concessions that the US expects from Israel on the Gaza and Lebanon fronts were also on the table, alongside the ongoing alignment on the Iranian nuclear issue. A source from the Board of Peace reported by Israeli media confirmed that the reality on the ground is far from the statements made by the Prime Minister, aimed at an electorate for whom any form of diplomatic compromise is particularly unpopular. "We look at the facts, not the statements. It would have been better for Israel if the statements were consistent with its actions, but in fact, it is respecting the agreement. The IDF has stopped targeted killings and is on the original Yellow Line, which covers 53% of the Strip, without outposts or forces beyond it." In essence, according to the source, the IDF has already quietly repositioned itself on the original Yellow Line, established in the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. After meeting Netanyahu in Jerusalem on a quick visit last Monday, Nickolay Mladenov, the Gaza envoy for the Board of Peace — who is also the director of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, demonstrating the Emirati's strong involvement in the body created by Trump — addressed the Israeli public directly yesterday in an interview with Channel 12. Mladenov reiterated that the 15-point roadmap is an agreement between the Board of Peace and Hamas and that the disarmament of Palestinian militias — including Kalashnikovs — precedes further IDF withdrawals from other areas of the Strip. And here lies one of the issues. Mladenov spoke of a "gradual" withdrawal, step by step: the disarmament of militias in a specific area (based on the model of the 'pilot zones' under consideration in the difficult negotiations on the Lebanese front) and the respective withdrawal of the IDF, with the rotation of troops from the International Stabilization Force. Meanwhile — and this is the point Netanyahu will try to monetize politically during the election campaign, according to Ynet military analyst Ron Ben Yishai — the Prime Minister is pushing for any further withdrawal to happen only once Gaza is fully demilitarized from Palestinian militias. Islamic Jihad has thundered, accusing Netanyahu of manipulating the Board of Peace. The fact that the situation on the ground is changing was also confirmed by the IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, who today stated that "the ongoing diplomatic negotiations on all major fronts are the result of the historic successes of the IDF. We are well prepared in defense, maintaining full capacity to return to high-intensity combat." According to all analysts, it remains highly unlikely that, besides the Rafah pilot — which is still in the IDF-controlled zone — there will be further decisive moves in Gaza before the October 27 elections. Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA