Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza disarmament plan

{"text":[[{"start":6.38,"text":"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected a US-backed plan for Gaza under which Hamas would disarm in exchange for a phased Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave."}],[{"start":17.18,"text":"Netanyahu’s announcement follows fierce criticism of the 15-point plan from far-right members of his coalition — even though US officials have insisted it was in line with a previous US plan that Israel had accepted."}],[{"start":29.5,"text":"Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel “does not accept the 15-point document”, and insisted that the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza at all “until Hamas is disarmed”."}],[{"start":41.1,"text":"“And when I say the disarming of Hamas, it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” Netanyahu added."}],[{"start":52.74,"text":"“Right now, we are talking with the Americans about this issue. They have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable, and we know how to stand firm against these things.”"}],[{"start":62.992,"text":"US President Donald Trump announced the 15-point plan last month, saying it would lead to the “complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza”, and that Israeli forces would withdraw from the Palestinian enclave “as disarmament is completed”."}],[{"start":77.98,"text":"Trump hailed the plan as a major breakthrough and claimed at the time that it would be a “critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government”."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":86.22,"text":"However, it quickly came under fire from Netanyahu’s allies, with officials insisting any Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave should begin only after Hamas’s disarmament was complete, and not take place in parallel."}],[{"start":98.78,"text":"Meanwhile, Hamas officials said any progress on the new roadmap was contingent on Israel first fulfilling its prior obligations, including increasing humanitarian aid flows into the shattered Palestinian territory and withdrawing to the positions it held when a truce took effect last year."}],[{"start":115.18,"text":"Sunday’s comments by Netanyahu — whose coalition is trailing opposition parties in polls ahead of parliamentary elections due to be held in October — underscored the political obstacles to the deal’s implementation."}],[{"start":126.94,"text":"A person briefed on the discussions said Israel had various concerns about the plan, including the idea that Hamas would hand over its weapons to a newly formed Palestinian police force."}],[{"start":137.06,"text":"Israel was also concerned about the potential influence Qatar and Turkey would have in Gaza, the person added."}],[{"start":142.78,"text":"The plan — published last month by Trump’s Board of Peace — also contained other conditions analysts said would be difficult for Netanyahu to accept, including a commitment to halt military strikes in Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza and the creation of a pathway to Palestinian statehood."}],[{"start":158.02,"text":"Although Israel has not carried out strikes in Gaza in the past few days, it has launched hundreds in the Palestinian enclave since the US-backed ceasefire took effect last October and halted the worst of the fighting."}],[{"start":169.7,"text":"According to Palestinian health authorities, the strikes since the truce have killed more than 1,200 people in Gaza, much of which has been reduced to rubble by Israel’s two-year offensive."}],[{"start":183.64,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1786328002_3065.mp3"}