The plan precluded the future annexation of the West Bank, which so alarmed Netanyahu's allies in Israel that they dispatched Jewish settler leaders to the U.S. to talk him out of signing. Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, issued three demands: that the Palestinian Authority play no role in the future governance of Gaza; that Hamas completely disarm; and that there be no mention of a future Palestinian state. The proposal overlooked all three.
However, he said that the Israeli strike that killed six people five members of Hamas and a local Qatari security force member represented an attack on the principle of mediation itself. This attack can only be described as state terrorism, an approach pursued by the current extremist Israeli government, which flouts international law, the minister said. The reckless and treacherous Israeli aggression was committed while the state of Qatar was hosting official and public negotiations, with the knowledge of the Israeli side itself, and with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.