Opposition head MK Yair Lapid announced on Tuesday that he would bring a bill to express support for US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan to a vote in the Knesset plenum.
Lapid's bill was perceived as an attempt to "embarrass" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition in a vote, as several ministers in his right-wing cabinet, as well as other members of the coalition, have noted their rejection of the Trump plan.
The rejection of Trump's plan by the far-Right flank of Netanyahu's coalition stems from section 19 of the plan, which calls for "a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people."
Last week, Religious Zionist Party MKs Simcha Rothman, Limor Son Har-Melech, and Ohad Tal took part in protests against the section.
In a statement, Lapid noted that "we support President Trump and strengthen his hand in the efforts to implement the stages of the plan," adding that he expects all coalition factions to vote in favor of the plan.
United Nations voted in support of Trump’s Gaza plan
Last week, the United Nations Security Council voted in support of Trump’s Gaza plan, and for a UN mandate to establish the International Stabilization Force (ISF) that is expected to be deployed to the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said before the session began that the “international community must commit to disarming Hamas, and Israel will make sure that this happens, one way or another.”
Danon spoke at the UNSC debate and emphasized that any plan for the future of the Gaza Strip requires “complete disarmament and the prevention of Hamas rearming,” his office stated.
However, senior Israeli officials privately described the wording of some sections in the plan as "problematic," with Israel's main point of contention being section 19's call for Palestinian statehood. "If the Americans want to try, let them try, we cannot come out against it. Trump wants to show he has authority," one Israeli official told Walla.
The Knesset vote on the plan will be translated to English for the benefit of officials in the White House, an opposition source told Walla.