The ‘yellow line’, which Israel withdrew earlier this month under Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, is the first of three stages of Israeli military withdrawal. It would control about 53% of the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, called it Gaza’s “practical new border.”
It’s a statement that will please Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners.
The forts and perimeters Israel is currently building along this border are intended to clearly demarcate the territory, but they may also help blur the differing hopes and expectations of Washington and Mr. Netanyahu’s allies at home.
How long he can maintain both expectations will largely depend on the next stage of negotiations.
The yellow-lined border is temporary, but any further withdrawal of Israeli troops depends on resolving difficult issues locked into the second phase of Donald Trump’s deal, including the transfer of power in Gaza and the process of disarmament of Hamas.
Washington is hoping nothing will upset the next phase of negotiations. US Vice President JD Vance flew out on Tuesday to pressure Netanyahu to continue peace talks. President Trump’s negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with the Israeli prime minister on Monday.
Israeli newspapers reported that Netanyahu had received a stern message from U.S. allies asking him to show restraint and not jeopardize the ceasefire.
When Israel complained that Hamas had violated the terms of the ceasefire on Sunday, killing two of its soldiers, the response championed by Netanyahu’s far-right National Security Minister was a one-word call for “war.”
Instead, Israel carried out intense but brief airstrikes before resuming the ceasefire, carefully emphasizing that its troops came under fire from inside the yellow line to show Washington that Israel was not breaking the rules.
Netanyahu has said the war will not end until Hamas is disbanded. The disarmament of Hamas and the complete demilitarization of Gaza are among the conditions he has set.
But Israeli commentators are lining up to say that the real decisions about Israel’s military action in Gaza are now being made in Washington.
The yellow line and the difficult task facing negotiators in the second phase of negotiations are clues as to why Netanyahu’s coalition partners have decided to wait rather than carry out their threat to topple his government.
The dream of many extremist settlers and pastors is that the next stage of this process will prove insoluble and the yellow line will actually become a de facto border, opening the way to new settlements in Gaza. Some hardliners want Israel to annex the entire Gaza Strip.
The majority of Israelis want the war to end and the bodies of the remaining hostages and soldiers serving in Israel to return to their homeland.
But the Israeli prime minister is known as a politician who likes to keep his choices as open and long as possible, a step-by-step deal that comes with a caveat.
Agreeing to this first step meant Israel withdrawing to a position that gave it control of more than half of the Gaza Strip and agreeing to a ceasefire to bring the hostages home.
From here on out, it will become more difficult to align the goals of the United States and its domestic allies.
Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that Israel could return to war if Hamas violates the agreement, including by failing to disarm.
“It would be much better if this was achieved in an easy way,” he told the Israeli public earlier this month. “Otherwise, it will be achieved the hard way.”
Donald Trump said the same thing. But the United States has so far shown tolerance for delays and violations of the agreement’s implementation, leaving Netanyahu with much less political room than he would like.
