Smotrich Opposes Trump Peace Council Gaza Plan, Calls It Dangerous and Demands Immediate Action

Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have formally opposed the Trump Peace Council's recently published 15-point Gaza roadmap. In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, they argued that the plan contradicts Israel's core objective of disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and eliminating threats to Israeli security. They described the document as "dangerous to Israel" and called for immediate operational measures to protect the country unless the plan is revised.

The ministers specifically criticized the proposed deployment of the International Security Force (ISF) in Gaza. Contrary to prior assurances given to Israel that the ISF would operate on Gaza's "red line," assist in weapons collection, and focus on disarmament and counterterrorism, the new roadmap assigns the ISF a supervisory role over Israeli forces, separating Israel from Hamas and restricting Israel Defense Forces' activities in Gaza. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir stressed that this represents a significant and unacceptable shift from what was promised by the United States.

They demanded that Israel reject the roadmap until it is corrected. Furthermore, they urged the Israeli cabinet to annul its previous approval of the ISF deployment, which was based on inaccurate information, and to issue a new decision preventing the ISF from entering Gaza until the force's mandate, legal authority, and tasks are clearly and properly defined. Their letter underscores the urgency of safeguarding Israel's security interests against what they view as a flawed peace initiative.