Trump to Press Netanyahu on Gaza Peace Plan at White House

US President Donald Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday for high-stakes talks aimed at advancing a long-elusive Gaza peace plan.

Trump claims that a deal to end the nearly two-year conflict in Gaza, secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, and disarm the Palestinian militant group is effectively in place following meetings with Arab leaders last week.

On Sunday, he signalled potential progress via his Truth Social platform: “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!”

However, Netanyahu’s recent actions offer little optimism. In a defiant UN address on Friday, he vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas and promised to block the creation of a Palestinian state recently recognised by key Western nations.

The Israeli premier also appears hesitant to halt the ongoing military offensive in Gaza City, from which hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled in recent weeks.

This will mark Netanyahu’s fourth visit to the White House since Trump returned to power in January, as the US president seeks to resolve a conflict he initially claimed could be settled within days.

Although traditionally a staunch supporter of Netanyahu, Trump has recently expressed frustration, warning against West Bank annexation proposals by some Israeli cabinet members and opposing Israel’s recent strike against Hamas operatives in Qatar.

According to Natan Sachs, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, the outcome depends on the degree of pressure Trump is willing to apply: “Netanyahu has a clear preference for continuing the war and defeating Hamas, but I don’t think it’s impossible for Trump to convince him otherwise. It would need a lot of pressure from Trump and a very clear and sustained strategy.”

The two leaders are scheduled to hold a joint news conference at 1:15 pm US Eastern time (1715 GMT) on Monday.

Trump expressed growing optimism last week following discussions with Arab and Muslim-majority leaders at the UN General Assembly.

A 21-point US-led plan has reportedly taken shape, aiming to:

• Disarm Hamas
• Release all hostages
• Establish a ceasefire

Some media reports have floated former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a potential head of a transitional authority for Gaza under US proposals. This body, referred to as the Gaza International Transitional Authority, would operate with UN and Gulf support before eventually transferring control to a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Netanyahu has rejected the notion of the Ramallah-based PA governing Gaza, which it controlled until Hamas seized power in 2007. He also voiced scepticism about the PA’s ability to reform: “I think that the credibility or the likelihood of… a reformed Palestinian Authority that changes completely its stripes, that accepts a Jewish state, that teaches its children to embrace coexistence and friendship with the Jewish state, rather than living their lives in order to annihilate it… well, good luck,” he told Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing”.

The Gaza conflict escalated following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, in what AFP notes as the deadliest day in Israel’s history.

Israel’s subsequent military operations have resulted in the deaths of more than 65,549 Palestinians, also predominantly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. These figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The White House meeting represents a critical test for Trump’s diplomatic leverage and Netanyahu’s willingness to compromise as both leaders confront one of the deadliest conflicts in recent Middle Eastern history.