What Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said about intending to remain in Gaza and resume settlement activity there was neither a slip of the tongue nor a gaffe. Rather, it reflects what is on the Israeli government’s mind and what it plans to implement in the next phase, clearly at odds with the U.S. peace plan.

The clarification Katz issued afterward, under U.S. pressure, did not include a clear position on whether Israel would abide by U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, which calls for a withdrawal to a narrow strip along the border of the Gaza Strip in later stages of the plan. That plan was adopted by the UN Security Council and has since gained international legitimacy.

The most dangerous part of Katz’s remarks, made during the launch of construction of 1,200 new housing units in the Beit El settlement in the West Bank, was his statement: “We are in an era of practical sovereignty,” an allusion to applying Israeli law to the West Bank, in direct contradiction to Trump’s stated opposition to annexing the area.

Katz’s comments reflect the position of the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled, according to Trump’s office, to meet the U.S. president in Florida on December 29. There is little indication that the Florida meeting will have any impact on the far-right parties participating in the government, which are calling for the resumption of settlement in Gaza, refusing to withdraw from it, demanding the extension of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, and rejecting withdrawal from southern Syria and southern Lebanon.

Nimrod Novik, a former adviser to ex–Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, warned in an article published in The New York Times that Netanyahu is confronting Trump’s Middle East peace plan by insisting on a policy of preemptive strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

Daniel Byman, a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, argues in an article in Foreign Affairs, that the ongoing situation in Gaza is "more of a continued conflict in limited form, rather than peace."

It is now self-evident that without moving to the second phase of the U.S. plan, it will be impossible to sustain the ceasefire in Gaza, even in its fragile form. There are no signs on the horizon that this phase is nearing implementation. Israel’s condition, that an international stabilization force be transformed into a combat force tasked with disarming Hamas, remains a major obstacle to any country agreeing to contribute.

If the prospective international force does not meet Israel’s demand, the issue will revert to the claim that Israel alone is capable of disarming Hamas, paving the way for a resumption of large-scale fighting.

Katz’s remarks also make clear that the Israeli government will not miss the opportunity created by waning international attention to Gaza and the early easing of Israel’s international isolation, evident in Monday’s visits by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, to shirk its commitments under Trump’s plan.

From Gaza to Lebanon and on to Iran, hopes of avoiding renewed wars are narrowing. The only available chance to avert an explosion is for Trump to make it unmistakably clear to Netanyahu in Florida that he will not allow him to manipulate him or jeopardize U.S. interests in the Middle East for the sake of preserving his political survival.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar