Khaberni - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Monday that Turkish and Qatari soldiers "will not be in the sector", despite a White House announcement over the weekend that Turkey and Qatar will sit on the influential executive board for managing Gaza.
Netanyahu said in a speech before the Knesset regarding the second phase of the peace plan in Gaza: "We have a certain argument with our friends in the United States about forming the advisory council that will accompany operations in Gaza", likely referring to the executive board.
He added that Israel's readiness to stand up to the United States in case of disagreements over core issues does not harm relations with President Donald Trump, describing him as "our greatest friend in the White House".
Netanyahu noted that the Israeli army currently controls 52% of Gaza "from a position of strength", and spoke about the second phase saying: "The second phase simply says - Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be stripped of weapons."
He vowed that "these goals will be achieved, either the easy way or the hard way", emphasizing the importance of recovering the body of Sergeant First Class Ran Gefili, the last prisoner remaining in Gaza, and said: "This remains our top priority, and the less we speak about it the better."
