Opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz welcome U.S. involvement but avoid addressing the plan’s more controversial elements. Meanwhile, right-wing politicians like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir openly celebrate the proposal.
Jonathan Regev reports from Tel Aviv.
Jonathan Regev reports from Tel Aviv.
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00:00So, again, it depends on which side of the political spectrum you're speaking about.
00:07Let's look at the opposition at the beginning.
00:10If we look at Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz, for example, they both welcome the very friendly
00:16messages coming from the United States regarding the Gaza Plan.
00:22They're not mentioning too much about it, not talking too much about it, understanding
00:26that this is a very controversial issue globally.
00:29Therefore, opposition leaders are welcoming the meeting, welcoming the friendly approach
00:35by the United States, trying not to touch this very hot potato, leaving it aside.
00:40You mentioned the right-wing politicians, the settlers.
00:44As far as they're concerned, it's a celebration.
00:47Bitzalel Smotrich saying that this is exactly the punishment that those who masterminded
00:52the October 7th attacks deserve, and Itamar Ben-Gvir called this the beginning of a new
00:59friendship.
01:00They're, of course, ecstatic.
01:02Now, how realistic is this plan?
01:05What are the chances of this plan happening?
01:07No one really knows, but here is something we do know.
01:10In less than a month, the ceasefire in Gaza has to go from stage one into stage two.
01:16Bitzalel Smotrich already said that his party will join Itamar Ben-Gvir, who already left
01:21the coalition, and they will leave as well if the second stage goes into effect.
01:25Now, it's a very big question if Smotrich will really do it, because let's assume that
01:31the second stage goes into effect.
01:34Smotrich could, perhaps, tell his voters, how could we leave a government now when all
01:40our dreams are just about to be realized, when Gaza will be finally empty from Palestinians,
01:45as their party has been wishing for so many years?
01:51That is something that will be interesting to see.
01:53So these are the two differences between the far-right parties and all the rest of them.
01:59The far-right is celebrating this.
02:01The other parties, the opposition, even the orthodox parties, are congratulating Donald
02:07Trump for his very friendly Israeli approach, but trying to leave this Gaza issue aside,
02:13understanding that it's not that simple.
02:15The fact that there was a statement in Washington doesn't mean that this will happen tomorrow
02:19morning or any time after that.
02:21Jonathan, thank you for that.
02:22Our correspondent Jonathan Regev in Tel Aviv.