Netanyahu navigates domestic pressure amid US-led Gaza talks—the details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Despite Israel’s public objection to moving to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the formation of a peace council there, there is talk of a disagreement with Washington over the issue.

Some within Israel, however, believe matters are still heading toward an actual transition to that phase.

They argue that U.S. President Donald Trump understands the positions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that these stances are largely aimed at domestic political consumption.

Netanyahu, who tasked Foreign Minister Gideon Saar with coordinating with Washington and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Gaza file, also communicated directly with Rubio. 

He later said he did not object to the participation of Qatar and Turkey in the “day after the war,” but rather took issue with the U.S. statement being released without prior coordination with him.

Aware that his room for maneuver with Washington has become limited, Netanyahu has sought to use every platform to speak only about an executive committee, while ignoring the peace council.

Caught between U.S. decisions and domestic concerns over Gaza’s future — particularly in the absence of clarity over the fate of Hamas’ weapons — Netanyahu is trying to avoid a direct confrontation with Trump and preserve Israel’s close strategic relationship with Washington. 

This has prompted questions within Israel over how far Netanyahu can go in hardening his stance and turning Israel’s objection from a symbolic diplomatic step into firm political action, especially as global developments suggest that the final word on Gaza will rest with Trump, not Netanyahu.