An Israeli political analysis warns of a growing and potentially explosive rift between “Tel Aviv” and Washington over the future of Gaza, as US pressure mounts to advance to the next phase of post-war arrangements while Israel hardens its conditions.
Writing in Maariv, Zionist political analyst Anna Barsky says that following the recovery on Monday of the body of the last deceased captive, Ran Goeili, US pressure has intensified to move toward “Phase B” in Gaza. In “Tel Aviv,” however, officials see a widening and increasingly dangerous gap with Washington.
According to Barsky, allies of US President Donald Trump are pushing for rapid reconstruction of Gaza, while Israel insists on an uncompromising position: no reconstruction—anywhere—without the full, genuine, and irreversible disarmament of Hamas. This applies even to areas currently under Israeli occupation. Zionist officials fear an internationally sanctioned “cosmetic disarmament,” and a single question now dominates internal deliberations: will Trump ultimately side with Netanyahu, or not?
Cabinet Talks Expose Rising Tensions
Barsky reports that a political-security cabinet meeting on Sunday evening laid bare the escalating tension between “Tel Aviv” and Washington over Gaza’s future and the transition to Phase B of Trump’s plan. Zionist ministers, citing growing American pressure, discussed the need for “practical steps” to keep the process moving.
Opening the Rafah crossing was described as an important but largely symbolic move—designed to create the appearance of progress and accelerate a full shift to Phase B, rather than to alter realities on the ground.
But Rafah, Barsky writes, is only the tip of the iceberg. At the heart of the dispute lies a sweeping US reconstruction plan championed by Trump, aimed at transforming Gaza into a rebuilt, prosperous civilian entity modeled on Gulf states. The initiative is being driven by two of Trump’s closest advisers, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who are urging him to pressure the Israeli occupation into approving reconstruction in parts of Gaza currently under Israeli military control within the so-called demilitarized zone.
Netanyahu Rejects US Vision
According to Barsky, ministers left the cabinet meeting with a clear impression: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unwilling to accept the outcome sought by Kushner, Witkoff, and Washington’s regional partners—namely, rebuilding Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed, bringing the Palestinian Authority into the Strip, and leaving Hamas as a de facto operational force under a model resembling Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Zionist officials say this scenario fundamentally contradicts Netanyahu’s vision. They add that he not only opposes it in principle but also possesses concrete tools to block it.