According to a report by The Times Of Israel, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he has presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his party’s “red lines” ahead of Netanyahu’s scheduled talks with US President Donald Trump. The meeting is expected to focus on Trump’s proposed 21-point framework to end the Gaza war.
Smotrich, a far-right member of the government, laid out six specific conditions that his faction requires in order to support the plan. The proposal, according to reports, seeks to end the fighting, establish a governing structure for postwar Gaza, and secure the release of 48 hostages still held by Hamas, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
One of Smotrich’s central demands is the complete exclusion of the Palestinian Authority from any governing role in Gaza, even indirectly. He argued that such involvement would amount to recognition of a Palestinian state, something his party firmly rejects.
He also insisted that the agreement itself must make “not even a hint” of reference to Palestinian statehood. “The idea of a Palestinian state needs to be completely removed from the table,” Smotrich said, doubling down on his long-standing opposition to a two-state solution.
Another of his conditions is the exclusion of Qatar from any postwar arrangement in the enclave. Smotrich accused the Gulf nation of playing a duplicitous role, saying it acts as “two-faced hypocrites that sponsor terror.”
In addition, Smotrich demanded that Palestinians in Gaza be allowed to leave the territory if they wish. He specifically called for the opening of the border with Egypt, allowing those who want to emigrate to move to countries willing to accept them. “Gaza will no longer be a prison where people are held by force illegally and immorally just to harm the State of Israel,” he declared.
Smotrich’s list of demands highlights the challenges Netanyahu faces as he prepares to discuss Trump’s plan in Washington. While the proposal seeks to end hostilities and create a framework for stability, the far-right minister’s uncompromising stance underscores the deep divisions within Israel’s coalition over how the postwar landscape should look.
As the war drags on and negotiations intensify, it remains unclear whether Netanyahu will be able to reconcile Trump’s vision with Smotrich’s strict conditions, or whether these differences will complicate Israel’s stance moving forward.