Netanyahu confirms disagreements with Trump over the agreement with Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump over the plan presented by the Board of Peace to normalize the situation in the Gaza Strip, and considers the complete disarmament of Hamas necessary before moving on to the next phase — the reconstruction of the enclave.

"I have disagreements with President Trump, which I do not hide, over the recent agreement with Hamas. (...) Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized before moving on to the reconstruction stage," Netanyahu said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

The television channel specifies that the prime minister made these comments after a meeting with the high representative of the Board of Peace, Nickolay Mladenov.

On Monday, The Times of Israel newspaper, citing sources, reported that Israel does not intend to withdraw its troops from the demarcation "yellow line" separating the Palestinian part of the Gaza Strip from the part controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Earlier, Israel stated that the plan proposed by the Board of Peace to settle the situation in the Gaza Strip does not meet Israeli requirements and contradicts the country's interests in the region. In particular, the authorities reported that Israel will not withdraw its troops until Hamas is completely disarmed.

At the same time, as The Times of Israel reported, representatives of the Board of Peace and unnamed American officials expressed dissatisfaction with the Israeli position, since the country's authorities had known the provisions of the plan for several months.

Last week, Trump said that the agreement proposed by the Board of Peace provides for the complete disarmament of Hamas. It is assumed that after the demilitarization of the movement, Israeli troops will leave the region, and "an international stabilization force will cooperate with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for ensuring the security of the residents of Gaza and its neighbors."

At the same time, Hamas representatives have repeatedly emphasized that they will not lay down their weapons until Israel leaves the Gaza Strip and fulfills the obligations it assumed under the previously concluded ceasefire agreement.

Source: INTERFAX.RU