Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself in a difficult position after the peace summit hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh, attended by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, former US President Donald Trump, and leaders from European and Arab countries to establish a ceasefire in Gaza and end the war that lasted more than two years. Many analysts and politicians believe Netanyahu prolonged the conflict to secure his political survival and remain in power.

The Washington Post reported that this time Netanyahu could not escape peace because he faced pressure from a much stronger ally, US President Donald Trump, to maintain peace. Meanwhile, Israel’s international isolation increased, and internally, Israeli security institutions, exhausted in energy and resources, openly opposed the continuation of the war in Gaza.

Now Netanyahu is considering his next steps after choosing to risk angering his far-right ministers and potentially collapsing his government rather than angering Trump.

Despite signing the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement, difficulties and uncertainties remain regarding implementation. The next phase of Trump’s plan, which includes disarming Hamas, a wider Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, determining who will govern the sector, and the path toward a Palestinian state, will be more challenging.

In Israel, opposition leader in the Knesset Yair Lapid revealed he contacted the US administration, informing them that the threats from extremists regarding the government’s fate after the Gaza war are false threats.

Concerned about another deception allowing Netanyahu to abort a potential US plan leaked to stop the Gaza war, Lapid told Washington that Netanyahu uses the extremists as a scare tactic to justify his refusal to end the war.

Lapid confirmed he clarified to Washington that the threats from extremist ministers Tzvi Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to cause a coalition crisis are hollow and that they will not topple the government if Netanyahu agrees to the deal.

Lapid posted on social media: I informed the US administration that Netanyahu has a safety net from me (the opposition bloc) to conclude a prisoner exchange deal and end the war. Therefore, Netanyahu has an absolute majority in the Knesset and among the people, and there is no need to be influenced by the empty threats of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.