In the streets of Washington (and not only) the Israeli Prime Minister will face protests of Jewish and expatriate groups that demand the end of the war and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza
Three and a half hours after the scheduled time, Benjamin Netanyahu took off this Sunday from Telavive aboard the Wing of Zion, towards Washington, for the third visit to President Donald Trump in just six months.
The agenda, although not formalized as a “state visit” – because it is not a formal invitation of the White House – leaves no doubt: Iran, War in Gaza and attempted to widen Abraham’s agreements will be in the center of the conversations. At the outset, Netanyahu presented himself with the confidence of who speaks after what he describes as “a tremendous victory” about Iran, after the twelve-day lightning war last month. “Our Heroic pilots flew into Iran’s skies,” he said. And not only: also about Lebanon, where he assured that Israel “surpassed” Hezbollah.
It all part of a narrative that aims to consolidate his image as a victorious war leader and defender of Israeli security.
In the brief statement to journalists, about Gaza the prime minister stressed that Israel will not accept a ceasefire agreement to leave Hamas on the ground. “We are working for an agreement in our terms,” he said. For Netanyahu, the “meaning of security” involves the total elimination of Hamas’s military and governance capabilities. “Hamas won’t be there,” he promised, while his negotiating team went to Doha for new rounds of indirect contacts.
The head of the Israeli government insists on three goals: the liberation of all hostages – alive and dead – the dismantling of Hamas and the reconfiguration of Gaza so that he never represents a threat. So far, 205 of the 255 hostages have been released, 144 with life. “There are still 20 living and 30 who have fell. I am determined, we are determined, bringing them all back.”
But if in Israel Netanyahu tries to capitalize on military gains, in the United States is preparing to face another front: public contestation and a diaspora that no longer watches in silence. Several Israelite Progressive and Expatient Jewish organizations are calling protests in Washington and New York. In front of the White House, groups like T’Ruah, J Street and Unxeptable movement want to hear themselves. “Let’s erect our voice and demand action,” reads in the appeal to mobilization. They ask for the end of the war in Gaza, the liberation of hostages, and the urgent entry of humanitarian aid into the territory. In New York, the protest is planned with the Israeli Consulate, driven by networks that had already formed in 2023 to contest the judicial reform promoted by Netanyahu.
The visit takes place at a time of diplomatic fragility for the Israeli leader. At the outset, Netanyahu said, “Israel now has an opportunity to expand the circle of peace far out of what we ever imagined.” He referred, Netanyahu, the possibility of new understandings with Arab countries. But the truth is that when he repeatedly meets Trump, it seems to be betting everything on the most predictable ally, consolidating international support, but isolating more and more in the geopolitics of the Middle East. And any appeal to peace in the Middle East is made with feet based on the rubble of Gaza.
Donald Trump hopes to leave the meeting on Monday with Benjamin Netanyahu, in the White House, with an agreement of principle to end the war in Gaza. The expectation was advanced by senior sources of the US Administration. One of the central themes will be the plan for the “next day” – that is, who rules Gaza after the conflict. The same question also dominates the parallel diplomatic conversations, currently underway in Doha, between Israel and Hamas, with US mediation, for a 60 -day truce.
The future of the Gaza Strip, however, remains undefined. Netanyahu refuses any role for Hamas, but also for Palestinian Authority (AP), in the reconstruction or governance of the territory. The proposal that leads to Washington is another: delivering management to countries in the region, with the support of local Palestinian figures without connections to Hamas or AP. The problem? The Arab world has already said that it does not enter this game if the Palestinian authority is removed.
