Yaakov Amidror, the former head of the Israeli National Security Council and a reserve major general, presented a disturbing assessment of the relationship with the administration of US President Donald Trump, as well as developments related to Iran and the Gaza Strip, in light of recent changes in the region.
According to what was published by the Maariv newspaper, Amidror stated in a morning interview via 103FM radio that Israel finds itself in a politically defensive position due to American decisions that, in his opinion, do not align with Israeli national interests. He also warned of what he described as “Turkish and Qatari interference” in the file of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
At the beginning of his speech, Amidror explained: “I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but the result is that the Americans decided to ignore the needs of the State of Israel in this field, and they are working against its interests.” He believed that at the Israeli political level, clear red lines must be set, saying: “Israel must adhere to its position as much as possible. In the end, we are obligated to dismantle Hamas by force, while the Qataris and Turks are thinking in the opposite direction.”
Amidror called for setting a strict military timetable that aligns with Trump’s plans, pointing to the need to give orders to the Israeli army to dismantle the Hamas movement within two months, as stated in the American president’s “Points Agreement.” He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be prepared for a political confrontation, saying: “I hope he will act as he did previously in the face of similar decisions. Israel must adhere to its position.”
Regarding the situation in Iran, Amidror expressed deep doubts about the feasibility of any military attack at the present time, considering that the decline in the momentum of the protests and their severe suppression has reduced the impact of any potential military move. He said: “If an American attack occurs today, it will be useless from the opposition’s point of view. The Iranian regime crushed the demonstrations. I do not know the exact number of deaths, but the numbers range between 5,000 and about 20,000. The behavior was very brutal,” as he put it.
He believes that the world has missed a historic opportunity that may not be repeated soon, adding: “When the demonstrations were at their peak, an American attack could have supported them and weakened the regime more, but this opportunity was lost. History will judge whether the reasons were justified or not.”
Amidror also warned of the increasing Turkish and Qatari roles in the reconstruction of Gaza, considering that this represents “a direct strengthening of the infrastructure of terrorism,” and said: “The meaning is the presence of two parties whose goal is to rehabilitate and strengthen Hamas, and this is the opposite of what we want.”
In contrast, he sought to downplay the possibility of a direct military confrontation with Turkey, similar to the Iranian scenario, considering that there is an exaggeration in this proposal. He said: “Turkey does not like Israel at all, but I do not see it fighting Israeli planes. For this reason specifically, its presence in Gaza must be prevented, because it can harm Israel there without a direct military confrontation, only by strengthening Hamas.”
He concluded his speech by saying that dropping the Iranian rules on the Turkish situation is a great exaggeration, adding: “Should we prepare? Yes. Do I think this will happen? No.”
Amidror’s words come at a time when Netanyahu launched a public attack on Trump over the announcement of the formation of a special committee for the Gaza Strip, a move that sparked noticeable tension in Israeli-American relations. Netanyahu’s office announced that the formation of the Executive Committee for Gaza was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts its policy, noting that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was assigned to communicate with his American counterpart Marco Rubio urgently.
Observers believe that this unusual position reflects the escalating dispute between Washington and Tel Aviv over the future of Gaza and the mechanisms for managing the next stage, especially with the American announcement of an executive committee within the framework of the “Palestinian technocratic government,” which includes Arab and international figures, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a Qatari official, and the head of Egyptian intelligence, Hassan Rashad, in addition to figures from the Emirates and an Israeli-Cypriot businessman.
According to the American announcement, the committee aims to support the economic and financial administration of Gaza and link reconstruction to oversight and political mechanisms under Washington’s supervision, coinciding with Trump’s announcement of a “Peace Council,” which includes international and regional leaders to directly oversee peace files and conflict management, a move that Tel Aviv confirmed was not presented to it previously.
