Netanyahu's Last-Minute Changes to Gaza Plan Angered Arabs

Contrary to US President Donald Trump's public statements that the peace plan for Gaza has been agreed upon by all parties, the behind-the-scenes negotiations have been much more complicated. According to Axios, at the demand of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, significant changes were made to the document at the last minute, which angered the Arab officials participating in the negotiations.

The final version of the plan presented by Trump on September 29 is significantly different from the initial one. In particular, Netanyahu managed to achieve changes in the conditions and timing of the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. According to the new version, the withdrawal is directly linked to the process of Hamas's disarmament, and Israel receives the right of veto in this matter.

Moreover, even if all conditions are met and the withdrawal phases are completed, Israeli forces will be able to remain in a "security zone" to be created inside Gaza for as long as "it is not reliably protected from the resurgence of a terrorist threat." This wording, in fact, allows Israel to maintain an indefinite military presence in Gaza.

These changes immediately provoked the anger of the Arab mediating countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey. It is noteworthy that Qatar, anticipating a negative reaction, tried to persuade the Trump administration not to publish a detailed version of the plan.

The plan also provides that within 72 hours of Israel's official acceptance of the agreement, all hostages, both living and dead, must be returned. However, given the deep disagreements, even if Hamas responds positively in principle, the signing of a final agreement will take much longer than the three days mentioned by Trump. These changes, made at Netanyahu's insistence, essentially cast doubt on the viability of the plan from the very beginning and make its acceptance by the Palestinian side almost impossible.