For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the ultimate test of any Gaza peace plan is whether it enhances Israel’s long-term security. President Donald Trump’s toughest job on Monday will be to sell his 21-point proposal not as a package of concessions, but as a strategic move that will leave Israel more secure than it is today.
Netanyahu’s security concerns are manifold. First, he will demand ironclad, verifiable guarantees that Hamas will be fully disarmed and unable to re-emerge as a military threat. He will be deeply skeptical of any process that relies solely on international monitors, whom he has often accused of being ineffective.
Second, he will be intensely focused on the security arrangements under the proposed transitional authority and a future Palestinian Authority government. He will want to know who controls the borders, who prevents weapons smuggling, and what powers Israel retains to act against emergent terror threats within Gaza.
Third, he is fundamentally opposed to the idea of the Palestinian Authority itself having security control. His government views the PA’s security forces as unreliable and potentially hostile. The thought of them being responsible for security on Israel’s southern border is, for him, a non-starter.
To make the sale, Trump will need to present a plan with robust and multi-layered security assurances. This might include a continued Israeli security presence in key areas, U.S. technological support for monitoring, and a significant role for friendly Arab states in the security architecture. He must convince Netanyahu that the deal’s security framework is not a leap of faith, but a tangible upgrade to Israel’s current, volatile situation.