Netanyahu Chooses Politics Over a Way Out of Gaza | Dan Perry

Dan Perry argues that Netanyahu is rejecting Trump's 15-point plan for Gaza for political, not security, reasons. The plan offers disarming Hamas under international verification and a phased withdrawal, but Netanyahu demands full disarmament before any concession. Perry warns that the rejection harms Israel's security, moral, and diplomatic interests, and accuses Netanyahu of subordinating strategic decisions to his political survival.

In an opinion column in Maariv, Dan Perry attacks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for rejecting the 15-point plan of President Trump's Peace Council for Gaza. Perry claims the plan offers Israel security, verified disarmament of Hamas, and a path to rebuilding the Strip, and that Netanyahu's categorical rejection is a "scandalous act." The plan, according to Perry, includes a gradual process for disarming Hamas's heavy weapons, factories, warehouses, and tunnels, under an international verification committee and a stabilization force, with the Israeli withdrawal advancing alongside the process. Netanyahu, by contrast, demands full disarmament before any concession, which could make a viable agreement impossible. Perry emphasizes a moral imperative to rebuild Gaza, an Israeli interest in preventing despair, and a deterioration in Israel's international standing. He accuses Netanyahu of cynicism, since the previous 20-point plan included the possibility of a Palestinian state, and Netanyahu accepted it. Perry calls on voters to remove Netanyahu in the elections on October 27.