Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next December 29 to talk about the second phase of the peace plan for Gaza, as reported by the Israeli president’s office on Monday.
Netanyahu had already announced last week that Trump had invited him to the White House to advance the second phase of the ceasefire implemented in the Gaza Strip on October 10. although on the ground, Israel continues to fail to comply and around 370 deaths of Gazans have already been recorded since then.
In this second phase, it is expected that the disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is discussedthe launch of a technocratic transitional government for the Gaza Strip, the arrival of an international stabilization force and the hypothetical withdrawal of Israel – which now controls more than 50% of Gaza -, among other points.
The last conversation between Netanyahu and Trump that was made public was precisely the one mentioned, a week ago, by telephone and a few minutes after the American president published on his networks that Israel should bet on a “firm and genuine dialogue” with Syria. Statements made after an Israeli skirmish just 40 kilometers from Damascus which left 13 dead on the Palestinian side, but which do not seem to tarnish relations between the two leaders.
In fact, almost a month ago, Trump himself officially asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog: Netanyahu’s pardontried for corruption with three cases opened against him. Likewise, this Monday, the United States Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, is in Israel as part of a diplomatic visit that will last until Wednesday, after meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, with Netanyahu and also with Herzog.
Waltz’s trip continues ‘America’s unwavering commitment’ with the promotion of regional stability“, the implementation of President Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza and progress towards the objectives of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which establishes the way forward for the region”, detailed his spokesperson in a press release on the eve of the visit.
His meeting with Netanyahu took place in the presence of, among others, the deputy director of the National Security Council, Gil Reich; Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon; and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. In addition, This Sunday, Netanyahu also met in Jerusalem with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and, after thanking the United States for its “efforts” to try to resolve the conflict in Gaza, he argued that the second phase of the peace plan is “imminent and it will be difficult, even more difficult”.
“This will pose a no less formidable challenge: the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza. Then a third (phase) will take place, which will consist of deradicalizing Gazasomething that was also thought to be impossible, but which was achieved in Germany and Japan,” the Israeli prime minister said.
About The Author
