Reported Thursday evening on Channel 14 News: As the Security Cabinet convenes to discuss the continuation of combat operations in the Gaza Strip and the proposed settlement agreement, Israeli officials clarify that the 15-clause “roadmap”—presented as part of international efforts to advance an agreement—is unacceptable in its current framework. Against the backdrop of deliberations, reservations among cabinet ministers regarding the document and its implications for IDF freedom of operation are intensifying.
A political official told Channel 14 News that “Israel has already notified the Americans that the 15-point document formulated by Egypt and Hamas—the ‘roadmap’—is unacceptable to us, and we have submitted our reservations to them.” According to the official, “The only element the Cabinet approved was immunity for a limited force of Moroccan and Ugandan troops from the international force, to the extent they deploy to the Strip.” He further emphasized: “We informed the Americans that we will not withdraw from the current Yellow Line, and we will continue to thwart all threats against our forces and citizens.”
Within the Cabinet, near-total consensus exists against accepting the “roadmap” in its current iteration. According to the source, opposition spans across most coalition components—from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud ministers, through Religious Zionism ministers, to Otzma Yehudit. Furthermore, Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock are expected to demand that the Prime Minister revoke last week’s Cabinet decision approving the entry of the international force’s advance guard into the Gaza Strip. They claim that the entities presenting the plan failed to disclose the full ramifications of the document to ministers. Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is likewise expected to demand that final approval be referred to the Knesset for debate and vote. Concurrently, it was clarified that the Prime Minister himself is dissatisfied with the document, leading to assessments that no tangible progress toward its approval is anticipated at this stage.
As is known, the 15-clause “roadmap” forms part of a broader international initiative aimed at promoting the demilitarization of Hamas, establishing a new civilian governance mechanism in the Strip, deploying an international force, and executing a gradual Israeli withdrawal contingent upon meeting predetermined milestones.