President Trump is currently experiencing a rare moment of his plans for the Mideast region being rejected on multiple fronts - even among allies, apparently. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over weekend rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza, which marks a rare and very glaring public break with Trump.
Netanyahu was surprisingly up front in acknowledging the complete break in policy vision from the White House. "Contrary to all those who preach to us, we do what must be done for Israel’s security and we can and will stand our ground even against our best friends when necessary," he stated.
He said he was confronting a "wave of rumors about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts" and made clear that Israel won't succumb to ongoing US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran - unless Israel decides it is in its security interest.
Netanyahu was explicit on rejecting Trump's Board of Peace plan which was presented in July:
"Israel rejects the 15-point document," Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, speaking in Hebrew. "The IDF will not make any withdrawal until Hamas is truly disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and citizens."
A Hamas statement in the meantime stood by the plan. It said the group "affirms its commitment" to Trump's 15-point plan for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, "and establishing a clear timetable for their implementation."
"We call upon the mediators, guarantors, and the Peace Council to assume their responsibilities, ensure the commitment of all parties to what has been agreed upon, and prevent any violations or breaches that could disrupt the implementation process or undermine the ceasefire agreement," the Hamas statement added.
Even CNN has picked up on the fact that Netanyahu - whose government receives literally billions of dollars in US funds and arms each year - has been unusually blunt in his rejection of Trump's big initiative:
On tricky issues, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s preference is to kick the can down the road. If he must take a position, he likes to include a twist of ambiguity, some wiggle room, just in case things get hairy later. Not this time, though, on the subject of US President Donald Trump’s roadmap for progressing the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
While the Israeli leader risks facing the wrath of Trump, it has been about a full day since reports of the glaring Israeli rebuff have emerged, and yet there's been no immediate Truth Social diatribe or statement calling out Bibi.
And now the Middle East strategy "Ls" are piling up, the same outlet observes:
The US president – more desperate than ever for a win, as his Iran folly looks increasingly like handing him an L – reinvested in Gaza 10 days ago, declaring that his Board of Peace had reached a “historic agreement” with Hamas for its complete disarmament. The board’s top envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, went on to explain carefully on X that decommissioning would need to take place “in lockstep” with Israeli troop withdrawal, suggesting a phased process by which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would pull back in stages from positions inside Gaza, as Hamas turned in its arms.
It could be that Netanyahu too sees Trump up against the ropes when it comes to the Middle East, and views this as an opportunity to assert Israel's 'least-bad option'.
Again, Trump has remained quiet on the Netanyahu issue, but surprisingly presented 'validation' from an unlikely source - former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said she supported his Gaza plan.
She argued in an op-ed that there is no alternative to Trump's Gaza plan, and that she's still able to acknowledge this despite being an "implacable opponent of the president".
Perhaps Trump might be telling himself that Netanyahu's public betrayal is just an "election thing" and so he must speak primarily to domestic voters, given the country's general election is just under 12 weeks away.