Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Confer with Trump in US Amidst Concerns of Israel's Regional Campaigns
The Israeli premier is set to confer with the US president at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday evening. This occurs as anxieties grow that Israel could initiate new military actions against enemies in the region, possibly sending the Middle East deeper into turmoil.
The prime minister left Israel on Sunday, representing his fifth visit to see Trump in the United States over the past twelve months.
Ceasefire in Gaza and Pending Challenges
High on the agenda will be the truce in Gaza, which in October brought an end to the devastating two-year war. While the terms for an opening period have been mostly fulfilled, with Israeli forces withdrawing to new positions and Hamas freeing all living and nearly all of the deceased hostages, enormous challenges confront the carrying out of the second phase of the US-brokered 20-point plan.
There are additionally concerns that Israel will launch new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, breaking a ceasefire established more than a year ago, or against Iran, which it accuses of ramping up the manufacture of ballistic missiles in recent months.
“Phase 1 is essentially over, there’s one remaining Israeli deceased hostage which [Hamas] are having difficulty finding,” commented an analyst involved in back-channel talks.
Each party trade accusations of breaking the truce. Hamas has declined to explicitly commit to disarmament and has had significant success in asserting its control in the parts of Gaza where nearly the entire population is situated. Israel seems hesitant to withdraw from the 53% of Gaza it now controls or to allow the unhindered flow of aid into the territory.
“The second phase 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 certainly not a situation that the Americans want to leave in place,” the expert added.
Humanitarian 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 perished in Gaza since the October ceasefire, and vast multitudes continue to live in conditions of acute hardship.
In recent weeks, downpours and freezing conditions have exacerbated the suffering in Gaza, where the majority of housing and infrastructure have been heavily damaged or destroyed.
The war was precipitated by a sudden assault by Hamas in southern Israel in 2023, in which 1,200 people, predominantly civilians, were killed and 250 others taken hostage.
Next Stages and Political Tensions
Under the future steps of the US proposal, an interim authority made up of independent Palestinian experts is to administer the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas. An multinational peacekeeping force of thousands of troops is to be sent in.
US officials have hinted the membership of the new authority could be revealed in January.
Reports indicate that senior US officials are becoming impatient “as Netanyahu has taken steps to sabotage the fragile ceasefire and impede the peace process”.
“There are growing evidence that the American administration is getting frustrated with Netanyahu,” said a Middle East expert. “The question is what it’s going to do about it, because phase 2 is right now going nowhere.”
Netanyahu's Priorities
For Netanyahu, a key objective will be urging Trump to allow Israel to act to prevent Iran from repairing the damage inflicted on its nuclear programme or building its ballistic missile capabilities.
Meanwhile, efforts to secure a security agreement between Israel and Syria have failed to make significant progress and will also be discussed at Mar-a-Lago. Israeli officials have also called for more effective efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
Netanyahu faces an election within 10 months, and the looming polls will affect his agenda. “Everything is connected to [his] staying in power,” an analyst said.
Polls indicate Netanyahu’s current coalition would struggle to form a government if elections were held now. Many voters are displeased over the failures that led to the 2023 Hamas raid, efforts concerning military service exemptions, and a number of scandals.
A close relationship with Trump would strengthen Netanyahu’s appeal among floating voters and his base. This indicates any open rift between the two leaders is highly improbable, analysts said.
Netanyahu is expected to seek to make the case to Trump of the need for Israel to maintain a defence advantage over potential regional enemies. Many Israeli officials were shaken by previous US comments regarding advanced weapons sales to other regional states.