Netanyahu’s veto and the limits of American power

What the report says

Al Jazeera published an opinion piece on Aug. 10, 2026, arguing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza initiative exposes the limits of American leverage over Israel. The article says Trump wants a ceasefire-and-transition framework to show that Washington can impose an outcome, while Netanyahu is insisting that Israel will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed.

According to the piece, that position effectively gives Israel control over the timing of any drawdown, because the standard for “complete” disarmament would be set and assessed by Israeli authorities. The author presents this as a way for Netanyahu to slow or block the transition Trump is seeking, rather than as a normal bargaining position. The article also frames the dispute as a clash between Trump’s transactional desire for a diplomatic win and Netanyahu’s need to satisfy his political base and right-wing coalition partners.

The op-ed says the wider issue is whether Washington is willing to apply pressure if Israel resists. It notes that the United States has long provided Israel with major military and diplomatic support, yet has often backed away from confrontation when Israeli governments pushed back. As background, the article argues that any postwar arrangement in Gaza would need some mix of security, governance and Palestinian legitimacy, not only military action against Hamas.