On Monday, the White House released a comprehensive 20-point US plan aimed at ending Israel's genocide in besieged Gaza, withdrawal of Israeli troops from the tiny enclave and establishing long-term peace leading to Palestinian statehood, as US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu was also made to apologise to his Qatari counterpart over Israel's attack on Doha, during a telephone call from the White House.
The 16th point of the plan proposed by President Trump says "Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza," with its invading military withdrawing as the international force (International Stabilisation Force) led by troops of Muslim and other countries establishes control.
And the clause 19 of the plan reads: "While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA [Palestinian Authority] reform programme is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognise as the aspiration of the Palestinian people."
But in a new video statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and published on his Telegram channel, Netanyahu said that Israeli military "will remain in most of the territory" as part of the plan drawn up with Trump, and that Israel did "absolutely not" agree to a Palestinian state.
This marks the first attempt by Netanyahu to undermine a Trump plan that Hamas is still considering and that Arab and Islamic countries have already supported.
In the video Netanyahu said: "It was a historic visit. Instead of Hamas leading to our isolation, we turned the tables and isolated Hamas. Now the entire world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the conditions we set together with President Trump: to release all our abducted – both living and dead – while the IDF [Israeli military] remains in most of the territory."
Regarding a potential Palestinian state following his White House visit, Netanyahu stated: "Absolutely not, and it is not written in the agreement either. But one thing we did say: we are firmly opposed to a Palestinian state. President Trump also said this; he said he understands our position. He also declared at the UN that such a move would be a huge reward for terror and a danger to the state of Israel. And of course, we will not agree to it."
Following discussions at the White House, Trump and Netanyahu unveiled the plan, which has garnered international support. The plan was unveiled during Netanyahu's fourth visit since Trump returned to office in January.
The extremist Israeli leader faces growing international isolation nearly two years into its genocidal war in Gaza.
Palestinians have recorded killings of more than 66,000 people by Israeli military, most of them women and children.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Critics, including Palestinian and US officials, some Israeli figures, and international observers, have accused Netanyahu of deliberately undermining negotiations through added conditions, illegal settlement expansions, military invasions, or political maneuvering to avoid concessions like a Palestinian state or full withdrawal from occupied territories including Gaza.
Since Hamas's October 7, 2023 raid on Israeli settlements and military facilities — what were once Arab farms and villages — Netanyahu has obstructed multiple mediated ceasefire proposals (via Qatar, Egypt, and the US).
Critics, including some Israeli media and officials, accuse Netanyahu of adding conditions to prolong the war for political survival and avoiding elections or coalition collapse with extremist partners.
A recent New York Times investigation found he extended fighting at key stages despite military advice.
In November 2023, Netanyahu rejected permanent truce ideas, focusing on "dismantling" Hamas despite a brief four-day ceasefire that was extended to a week. Experts called the goal impossible, obstructing peace talks.
In December 2023, Netanyahu dismissed a three-stage ceasefire proposal as "delusional," influenced by threats of his coalition extremists to collapse his regime if a permanent deal occurred.
In January 204, an extended ceasefire was forged, but Netanyahu broke it in March 2024.
In April 2024, he agreed to a hostage-prisoner swap and weeks-long pause but backed out before a Cabinet vote due to far-right threats, prolonging the genocide.
In May 2024, Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposed by Qatar and Egypt that follows the three-phase framework. Netanyahu rejected the proposal and launched Rafah invasion despite calls for ceasefire.
Earlier this year, Matthew Miller, a former State Department spokesperson under then Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Netanyahu's move as the most damaging shift, collapsing near-final talks with Hamas.
"It is consistent with the pattern we saw for many months. They [Israelis] were always looking for ways to add conditions or make the terms more difficult," Miller revealed in an interview.
"That maybe was the most frustrating of all, because we were so close to getting a deal that could have certainly brought hostages home and maybe ended the war once and for all," Miller added.
In July 2024, Netanyahu got top Hamas leader and peace negotiator Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran, derailing negotiations.
In August 2024, Netanyahu supported a US truce plan but added provisions like no full withdrawal and occupation of key Gaza corridors, sabotaging the deal to buy more time.
Since then Netanyahu has constantly changed goal posts and scuttled attempts to end genocide in Gaza and fully withdraw troops from the enclave.
