Trump Says Relationship With Benjamin Netanyahu Remains Very Good After Netanyahu Rejects Gaza Plan

US President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains "very good" even after Netanyahu publicly rejected a US-led Gaza plan.

“"The relationship is very good"”

Myanmar International TV

Trump made the remark at the end of an Oval Office event in Washington, responding to a shouted question from a journalist, and said, "The relationship is very good."

Al Jazeera

In the same dispute over Gaza, Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel rejected the 15-point document and said the IDF would not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed.

The disagreement is tied to a US-brokered ceasefire announced in October that has reduced but not ended Israeli operations in Gaza, according to the BBC.

Netanyahu formally rejected the 15-point document at a Sunday weekly cabinet meeting, saying, "Israel rejects the 15-point document," and adding that the IDF "will not make any withdrawal until Hamas is truly disarmed."

The BBC reported that a senior US official, quoted by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, said the White House was "not bothered" and viewed Netanyahu’s statement as campaign rhetoric in the run-up to a heated general election.

BBC

In response to Netanyahu’s rejection, Hamas said Sunday it remained committed to the roadmap and expected mediators and the U.S. to "pressure Netanyahu and his government to abide by the road map."

The Guardian described Netanyahu’s public rejection as a bid to balance incompatible demands from far-right coalition partners and from Trump, who wants to move toward a permanent settlement and return to Palestinian control in Gaza brokered by the Board of Peace.

While Netanyahu rejected the plan publicly, a Board of Peace official told Reuters on Monday that the disarmament plan was still on the table, saying, "The plan is very much still operative and advancing."

“"The plan is very much still operative and advancing"”

The Times of Israel

The Times of Israel reported that Israel told the White House it would be willing to negotiate an agreement halting targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, but that any such deal would exclude those who took part in the October 7, 2023, attack.

The BBC said the expected construction of the first ISF base is still scheduled to begin amid the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza at the end of this month, which would allow reconstruction to begin.

With Israel’s general election scheduled for 27 October, the BBC quoted former US diplomat Aaron David Miller saying Netanyahu is facing "the most consequential election" of his political life, as the roadmap dispute remains unresolved.