Major changes made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan on Monday have sparked anger among Arab officials taking part in the negotiations.
According to informed sources, officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey were particularly displeased with the amendments.
The sources explained that the agreement now being presented to Hamas is fundamentally different from the version previously drafted by the United States in coordination with a group of Arab and Islamic countries.
They stressed that Netanyahu’s last-minute intervention turned the plan from a joint initiative into a document reflecting Israel’s security priorities rather than a fair framework for peace.
In a closed six-hour meeting on Sunday, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Netanyahu and his close adviser Ron Dermer. During the talks, Netanyahu managed to introduce a series of significant changes, particularly to clauses concerning the conditions and timetable for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The final version of the plan now links Israel’s withdrawal directly to progress in dismantling Hamas’s weapons. It goes even further by granting Israel a veto over the entire process.
The news outlet Axios quoted US officials as saying they were ready to consider requests from Hamas for clarifications or specific adjustments, but would not reopen the entire plan for renegotiation.
Qatar: Issues in Trump’s Gaza plan need clarification, negotiation