Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Meet Trump in US During Concerns of Israeli Regional Offensives
Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Donald Trump at the presidential resort in Florida on Monday evening. This takes place as worries grow that Israel could launch new operations against regional foes, risking plunging the Middle East further into unrest.
The prime minister left Israel on Sunday, representing his fifth meeting to see Trump in the United States in the current year.
Truce in Gaza and Upcoming Hurdles
High on the agenda will be the truce in Gaza, which in October brought an end to the destructive two-year war. While the terms for an first stage have been mostly fulfilled, with Israeli forces withdrawing to new positions and Hamas releasing all living and nearly all of the deceased hostages, immense challenges face the carrying out of the next stage of the US-brokered 20-point plan.
There are additionally concerns that Israel will initiate new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, shattering a ceasefire put in place more than a year ago, or against Iran, which it alleges of ramping up the manufacture of ballistic missiles in the past few months.
“Phase 1 is basically over, there’s one remaining Israeli deceased hostage which [Hamas] are having difficulty finding,” said a peace-building expert.
Both sides blame one another of breaking the truce. Hamas has declined to clearly commit to laying down its weapons and has had considerable success in re-establishing its rule in the parts of Gaza where almost all population is concentrated. Israel appears unwilling to retreat from the 53% of Gaza it now controls or to enable the unhindered flow of aid into the strip.
“Phase 2 has to begin … and I think the Americans realise that it’s late because Hamas has had too much time to rebuild its strength and this is absolutely not a situation that the Americans want to leave in place,” the expert stated.
Civilian Toll and Current Conditions
More than 70,000 Palestinians, largely civilians, died in Gaza during the war and nearly the entire the territory’s 2.3 million population was displaced. Approximately 400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, and vast multitudes continue to live in conditions of severe deprivation.
In the past few weeks, heavy rain and freezing conditions have worsened the suffering in Gaza, where most housing and infrastructure have been severely damaged or razed.
The war was precipitated by a unexpected offensive by Hamas in southern Israel in 2023, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 250 others captured.
Subsequent Phases and Diplomatic Tensions
Under the next stages of the US proposal, an interim authority made up of independent Palestinian experts is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas. An international stabilisation force of thousands of troops is to be deployed.
US officials have hinted the membership of the new authority could be announced in January.
Reports indicate that senior US officials are increasingly exasperated “as Netanyahu has taken steps to weaken the unstable peace and delay the peace process”.
“There are growing evidence that the American administration is getting exasperated with Netanyahu,” observed a Middle East expert. “The question is what it’s going to do about it, because the second phase is right now going nowhere.”
The Prime Minister's Main Goals
For Netanyahu, a priority will be urging Trump to allow Israel to act to prevent Iran from rebounding inflicted on its nuclear programme or building its ballistic missile capabilities.
Meanwhile, efforts to secure a stability deal between Israel and Syria have stalled and will also be a topic at Mar-a-Lago. Israeli officials have also called for more concerted action to disarm Hezbollah.
Netanyahu has an election within 10 months, and the looming polls will affect his agenda. “Everything is connected to [his] staying in power,” an analyst said.
Opinion surveys show Netanyahu’s current coalition would struggle to form a government if elections were held now. Many voters are frustrated over the shortcomings that led to the 2023 Hamas raid, efforts concerning military service exemptions, and a string of controversies.
A close relationship with Trump would bolster Netanyahu’s appeal among swing voters and his base. This indicates any visible discord between the two leaders is extremely unlikely, analysts said.
Netanyahu is expected to seek to persuade Trump of the need for Israel to maintain a military technological edge over potential regional enemies. Many Israeli officials were shaken by previous US comments regarding advanced weapons sales to other regional states.