'A real collision course': Israel fumes at US takeover of Gaza, West Bank policy
Current and former Israeli officials are bristling at intense US pressure to conclude the war in Gaza at "whatever the cost," fearing that the worst is yet to come.
TEL AVIV — The United States' intense pressure on Israel to abide by the terms of the recent ceasefire with Hamas and proceed to the next stage of the plan is bringing relations between the two countries to a boil.
This past week saw back-to-back visits to Israel by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with visits by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. This week also saw the unveiling of a US-run multinational military command center in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat to oversee implementation of the plan announced by Trump for ending the two-year Israel-Hamas war and reconstructing Gaza. Israeli television news footage in recent days showed US soldiers walking around the town.
A top Israeli diplomat who has played a central role over the years in managing US-Israeli relations called these developments unprecedented. "I can't imagine a prime minister like Ariel Sharon, for example, agreeing to the American takeover of Israeli policy, as is happening now,” he told Al-Monitor, speaking on condition of anonymity and referring to Israel’s late hawkish leader.
He added that the top-level US visits and public rebukes of Israel by Trump and Vance signaled mistrust of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. “The most serious move is the military headquarters established by the Americans in Kiryat Gat,” he said.
