- Netanyahu and coalition members boycotted Knesset vote on Trump's Gaza plan
- Lapid's proposal passed with overwhelming support from the opposition, despite coalition walkout
- Netanyahu has endorsed Trump’s plan but his far-right partners reject key provisions
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition members boycotted a Knesset vote supporting US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.
The vote, proposed by opposition leader Yair Lapid, passed with 39 votes in favor and none against. As the debate on the proposal began, Netanyahu’s coalition members quickly exited the Knesset plenum, rushing for the doors as the vote approached.
“I’m surprised and disappointed that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not here,” Lapid said as the debate kicked off. “This is our first opportunity as a Knesset to send a message to President Trump, to the world, and to ourselves—we are united around a common goal. Netanyahu chose to boycott the vote and not show up. It’s a shame.” The largely symbolic measure expresses that “the Israeli Knesset decides to accept and adopt the 20-point plan of US President Trump.”
Opposition sources suggest the move was designed to “challenge and embarrass” Netanyahu in front of the Trump administration and highlight divisions within his far-right coalition. The proposal now moves to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where Netanyahu’s coalition is expected to block it.
Netanyahu publicly endorsed the plan during a September 2025 visit to the White House and praised its adoption by the UN Security Council in November. However, his Cabinet, which includes far-right allies, has yet to formally discuss or vote on the entire plan, beyond the first phase of a ceasefire. That phase included a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for the return of hostages, both living and deceased, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase of the ceasefire plan outlines a path to “Palestinian self-determination and statehood” and envisions a reformed Palestinian Authority governing Gaza.
Despite verbally agreeing to the plan, Netanyahu has consistently stated that he will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. His far-right coalition partners, such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have outright rejected the Trump plan. In November, Smotrich took to X (formerly Twitter) demanding Netanyahu “immediately formulate a decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world—a Palestinian state will never be established in our homeland.”
Ben Gvir and other members of Netanyahu’s coalition had already announced last week they would oppose Lapid’s motion. “We will certainly vote against it,” Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said on Israel’s Army Radio. “If Lapid wants to embarrass the state, that’s his business. A Palestinian state will not be established.” Instead of voting against the motion, Netanyahu’s coalition members left the room, allowing it to pass with support from the opposition.
Netanyahu has not publicly addressed Lapid’s motion, but two coalition sources told CNN that internal discussions had taken place recently on how to handle the vote.
Before the vote, Lapid posted on X that the moment should “reflect public unity for President Trump and his team’s efforts” and expressed hope that Netanyahu would instruct his coalition members to support the proposal.
The opposition employed a similar tactic in October, when the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill seeking Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank during US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel. That measure passed by a narrow margin, 25-24, despite Netanyahu’s request for its withdrawal, as rebellious right-wing lawmakers defied him.
Vance condemned the move as an “insult” and a “stupid political stunt,” while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “counterproductive” and “even threatening” to Trump’s Gaza peace plan. Trump himself warned in an October interview with Time magazine that “Israel would lose all of its support from the US” if annexation proceeded.
In response to the backlash, Netanyahu’s office labeled the vote a “deliberate political provocation” and instructed his coalition whip not to advance any annexation-related legislation.
