Senior ministers in Israel’s far-right coalition have publicly opposed reports that US President Donald Trump’s 21-point plan for ending the Gaza war could include steps toward a future Palestinian state, setting up a tense backdrop to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with Trump on Monday.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported comments from cabinet members representing the National Zionist and Jewish Power parties, who said Netanyahu lacks a mandate to accept any deal that falls short of what they describe as a decisive military victory.
Yitzhak Wasserlauf, a minister in Netanyahu’s government, told Kan the prime minister has “no mandate for such a deal,” adding: “We must finish the job in Gaza, and that includes IDF security control over the entire Gaza Strip.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X that Mr Netanyahu “has no mandate to end the war without a decisive defeat of Hamas.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — a long-standing opponent of Palestinian statehood who lives in a settlement — said he wants Hamas defeated and the captives returned, and declared he would “never agree to a Palestinian state — even if it is difficult, even if it has a price, and even if it takes time.”
The public pushback from hard-right ministers exposes deep divisions within Netanyahu’s coalition over any diplomatic compromise that could include political steps for Palestinians. It also signals the political constraints Netanyahu faces at home: with a narrow and ideologically driven governing majority, any agreement that appears to concede territory or sovereignty could provoke a severe domestic backlash and threaten the coalition’s stability.
What’s at stake
Reports about the U.S. plan have suggested it may include a phased cessation of hostilities, security arrangements, and a possible roadmap toward Palestinian political arrangements — language that would alarm ministers who demand full military control and the dismantling of Hamas. Israeli leaders allied to the far right frame such proposals as premature or dangerous, insisting the priority must be an unconditional military victory and the secure return of Israeli captives.
Netanyahu arrives in Washington under pressure from several directions: international appeals for a ceasefire and large-scale humanitarian access to Gaza, a domestic coalition that includes ministers openly hostile to concessions, and ongoing military operations that his critics say should be concluded before any political deal is struck.
Regional and diplomatic implications
If Washington presses an initiative that includes political guarantees for Palestinians, Netanyahu will confront a difficult choice: support a deal that could ease international pressure but risk alienating his hard-right partners — or reject the plan and deepen Israel’s diplomatic isolation.
Analysts warn that public opposition from senior cabinet members could make any US-brokered compromise fragile from the outset. Even if a framework is agreed in principle, implementation would require either a political realignment in Israel or creative guarantees to satisfy security concerns without granting formal statehood — an outcome that many Palestinians and international actors might find unacceptable.
Looking ahead
Monday’s meeting will be closely watched in capitals across the region. For now, the far-right ministers’ statements make clear they intend to shape the outcome: Netanyahu’s room for manoeuvre appears tightly constrained, and any proposal that hints at a path to Palestinian statehood is likely to encounter fierce resistance inside his own government.
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