Hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled White House visit on Monday, US President Donald Trump claimed that negotiations over his plan to end the war in Gaza are nearing completion. In an interview with Axios, Trump described the talks as being in their “final stages,” raising hopes of a breakthrough that could extend beyond Gaza and reshape the broader Middle East peace process.
The US President said his administration had managed to bring various stakeholders to the table, including Netanyahu, Arab nations, and even Hamas.
“Everybody has come together to get a deal, but we still have to get it done… The Arab countries were fantastic to work with on this. Hamas is coming with them. They have great respect for the Arab world… The Arab world wants peace, Israel wants peace, and Bibi (Israeli Prime Minister) wants peace,” Trump told Axios.
The plan, according to Trump, is aimed not only at halting the ongoing war in Gaza but also at reviving a broader push for peace across the Middle East. “If we get this done, it will be a great day for Israel and for the Middle East. It will be the first chance for real peace in the Middle East. But we have to get it done first,” he added.
Netanyahu’s Hardline Stance
Despite Trump’s optimism, Netanyahu’s recent remarks have left little room for hope. In a fiery address to the United Nations last Friday, the Israeli leader vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas and firmly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, which several Western powers have recently endorsed.
Netanyahu has also resisted halting Israel’s military operations in Gaza, from which hundreds of thousands have fled in the past weeks. This visit marks his fourth trip to Washington since Trump returned to power in January, amid growing pressure on the US president to deliver on his earlier claims of solving the conflict “in days.”
Following Trump’s claim regarding the Gaza deal, Netanyahu, while speaking to Fox News later in the day, appeared more cautious. “We’re working on it,“ he said. “It’s not been finalized yet, but we’re working with President Trump’s team, actually, as we speak.”
“I hope we can make it a go, because we want to free our hostages, we want to get rid of Hamas rule, and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarized, and a new future set up for Gazans and Israelis alike, and for the whole region,” he added.
Strains Between Trump And Netanyahu
While Trump has historically been one of Netanyahu’s strongest allies, tensions between the two leaders appear to be surfacing. Trump recently cautioned Netanyahu against moves to annex the West Bank. He also voiced objections to an Israeli strike on Hamas members in Qatar, a critical US ally.
Analysts note that much of Monday’s outcome will hinge on how far Trump is willing to press Netanyahu into accepting a compromise. “The outcome of the meeting was likely to depend on how much pressure Trump was willing to put on Netanyahu to swallow a deal on which both Israel and Hamas are still not sold,” said Natan Sachs, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.
Netanyahu’s Washington visit is set against a backdrop of heightened global attention, with both leaders expected to hold a joint news conference at 1:15 pm US Eastern time (1715 GMT) on Monday.
