US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan was adopted in the Knesset plenum on Wednesday after Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) brought it for a vote, as members of the coalition appeared to boycott the session.
Thirty-nine MKs in the opposition voted in favor of the measure, with none against it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present at the session.
No lawmakers or ministers from Netanyahu’s coalition participated in the vote, with their seats mostly empty as it took place.
Lapid told the plenum that he admitted being “surprised and disappointed” by Netanyahu’s absence because it was “the first opportunity” for the Knesset to say to Trump and the world that “we are uniting around a shared goal.”
“Netanyahu chose to boycott the vote and not come here. It’s a shame,” the opposition leader said.
As coalition seats sat empty, MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) attended the session and announced that she would not be voting.
Lapid’s move to hold the vote was widely perceived as an attempt to embarrass Netanyahu, as several ministers in the prime minister’s right-wing cabinet, as well as other coalition lawmakers, have publicly rejected the Trump plan.
Opposition is based on section 19 of the plan
Right-wing opposition to the Trump plan centers on section 19, which mentions moving toward Palestinian statehood.
The section calls for creating “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
It had therefore been unclear how coalition members would vote prior to the session. Netanyahu has expressed firm objection to a Palestinian state on various occasions.
The largely symbolic vote was titled, “The Knesset decides to accept and adopt the 20-point plan of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.”
Lapid cited holding the vote in the Knesset because the Trump plan had not been brought to “any official body” for a vote – including Israel’s cabinet and the Knesset.
Lapid said he had been in contact with representatives of the American administration ahead of the vote, who had asked him about it.
“I told them that the opposition will support it, and I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu will ensure that the coalition also comes to support it and express gratitude to President Trump,” Lapid said, ahead of the motion being brought to the Knesset.
He noted, “The vote should be a moment of unity in the Knesset, reflecting the unity among the public regarding the efforts of President Trump and his team.”
Lapid praised Trump during his remarks at the plenum, saying, “There was an enormous effort here, a committed American president, a genuine attempt to help the State of Israel in one of its most difficult hours. President Trump built a plan and pursued it with full force.”
“The entire Israeli Knesset is voting to express its gratitude to President Trump for this plan and for what it brought about: the return of the hostages, the end of the war, and the return to life,” Lapid added.
The Trump plan will now be brought to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further discussion.
Trump’s peace plan is the multilateral agreement between Israel and Hamas, announced in September. It was signed on October 9 and came into effect the day after the signing. The plan was subsequently endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in November.
Among the points in the Trump plan was a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following over two years of war, along with the return of all hostages held in Hamas captivity since the October 7 Hamas-led massacres in 2023.
Trump attended the Knesset in October to deliver an address to the plenum, following the signing of the agreement.