A close aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Donald Trump and Jared Kushner this week that Israel is rushing to advance a ceasefire agreement in Lebanonaccording to three current and former Israeli officials briefed on the meeting, aimed at delivering an early foreign policy victory to the president-elect.
Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, visited Mar-a-Lago on the first stop of his US tour on Sunday before traveling to the White House to brief Biden administration officials on talks on Lebanon, a sign of how quickly America’s political center of gravity has shifted after Trump’s election victory.
“There is an understanding that Israel would give something to Trump … that in January there will be progress on Lebanon,” an Israeli official said. Like others in this article, the official spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity.
Trump has said that wants to end wars in the Middle East, but he also told Netanyahu in a call last month to “do whatever he has to do” against Hezbollah and Hamas. It is not clear what impact the Lebanon proposal discussed at Mar-a-Lago would have on stalled talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.
“Netanyahu has no faith in Biden and will focus solely on Trump’s favor,” said Frank Lowenstein, a former special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under President Barack Obama who served during the transition to the first Trump administration. If 2016 is any indication, he added, “Trump won’t hesitate to act like he’s already president when the opportunity arises.”
Netanyahu said Sunday that he had spoken with Trump three times in recent days and that the two saw “great opportunities ahead for Israel, especially in promoting peace,” a dramatic statement after more than a year of devastating war in Gaza and six weeks after Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah by sending ground troops in southern Lebanon.
