Knesset advances motion backing Trump’s Gaza plan as coalition boycotts vote

The plan includes a possible route toward Palestinian statehood—an outcome the government has repeatedly rejected.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Knesset motion endorsing US President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for ending the Gaza conflict moved forward on Wednesday, clearing its first reading with 39 votes in favor and none opposed.

The measure passed easily, but the near-total absence of coalition lawmakers turned the vote into a pointed political moment rather than a test of parliamentary strength.

The proposal was brought to the floor by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who framed the vote as an opportunity for lawmakers to signal unity around the plan.

Most members of the governing coalition, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stayed away from the chamber.

Those who were present, such as Likud MK Tali Gotliv, chose not to vote at all. Their boycott had been expected, given that the plan includes a possible route toward Palestinian statehood—an outcome the government has repeatedly rejected.

Lapid criticized the prime minister for not participating. “This is the first opportunity we have been given as a Knesset to tell President Trump, to tell the world, to tell ourselves, that we are uniting around a common goal,” he said. “Netanyahu chose to boycott the vote and not come here. It’s a shame.”

Trump’s proposal, formally activated on October 10 when the current ceasefire began, lays out a sequence intended to end the fighting, dismantle Hamas’s military capability, and transfer responsibility for governance to the Palestinian Authority after what the plan describes as extensive reforms.

The document suggests that “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” though it avoids specifying dates or benchmarks. This possibility has drawn sharp opposition from several coalition members, and Netanyahu has stated repeatedly that “there will not be a Palestinian state.”

Since the ceasefire took effect, Hamas released the final group of surviving hostages on October 13 and has been gradually returning bodies of those killed.

The motion will next proceed to committee discussions before returning for additional readings.