President Donald Trump addressed his ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. He spoke up as Netanyahu publicly rejected a US-backed Gaza plan. Trump’s brief remark gave a glimpse into how the two leaders’ relationship stands amid a growing rift over Gaza and Iran.
Donald Trump gives update on Netanyahu relationship amid Gaza rift
Donald Trump kept his answer to “The relationship is very good,” dismissing any suggestion that friction had crept into his ties with the Israeli leader. The comment followed more than a week of mounting criticism from Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Sunday openly stated his opposition to the Gaza plan. The proposal called for Israel to gradually withdraw its forces as Hamas disarmed in return.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, restated his rejection of the plan in televised remarks to his right-wing government. His stance comes even though Israel’s military has largely halted attacks in Gaza under pressure from Washington. Additionally, the disagreement surfaces at a delicate political moment for Netanyahu.
He is running even or behind in several polls ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, the country’s first since the 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza genocide. Surveys show the Gaza plan is unpopular among Netanyahu’s right-wing base, and far-right members of his cabinet had pushed him to abandon it.
Moreover, Netanyahu had long leaned on his relationship with Trump as a campaign strength. Trump has taken steps seen as strongly favoring Israel. The two leaders also stood together in February when launching military action against Iran, though they later split over how to end that war as it dented Trump’s popularity and pushed oil prices higher.
The Gaza plan represents the newest phase of a US-brokered ceasefire announced in October. That truce reduced Israeli military activity in the territory without ending it entirely. Since the ceasefire took hold, Israeli operations in Gaza have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, while the Israeli army has reported five deaths within its own ranks over the same period.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
