(Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump threatened to “walk away” from Israel if it balked on his Gaza plan in a stern call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last weekend if the foreign leader did not give a “clear yes” to his peace deal.
Over the course of five calls this past weekend the president reportedly pushed the plan, making minor tweaks per Netanyahu’s request before laying down an ultimatum.
“Trump told Bibi in no uncertain terms: ‘Take it or leave it. And leave it means we walk away from you,’” a source told Axios, adding that the president told Netanyahu he wanted a “clear yes” and not a “yes, but.”
“If you accept this plan and Hamas rejects it, I will give you full backing to continue fighting them,” the source said Trump told Netanyahu.
The calls came after a chaotic chain of events that began three weeks earlier when Israel carried out a strike in Doha, Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders.
The move enraged Qatar, collapsed mediation efforts, and united Arab leaders in condemnation of Netanyahu. But for Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the crisis became an opening to draft a sweeping ceasefire and post-war plan.
The plan reportedly won cautious approval from eight Arab states a week ago when the president unveiled a 21-point proposal, fashioned partly from ideas Kushner had previously floated with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The stumbling block remained Netanyahu. At the United Nations General Assembly, he made no mention of the plan, and by Saturday, Trump’s team suspected he might reject it outright.
That spurred Trump’s “stern and clear” call.
“Donald Trump has had enough, for many reasons,” a source briefed on the call told Axios.
The post Trump Threatened to ‘Walk Away’ If Netanyahu Didn’t Give ‘Clear Yes’ in Call on Gaza Plan Ultimatum first appeared on Mediaite.
