The Israeli prime minister will travel to the US tomorrow, Sunday, where he will meet with his close ally the next day, an Israeli official told AFP today.
The agenda of their talks is expected to be “loaded”, according to local media, with talks on the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
This will be the fifth meeting between the two men in the United States since the Republican president returned to the White House nearly a year ago.
“Netanyahu will probably come to see me in Florida,” Trump said in mid-December, referring to his luxury Mar-a-Lago property. “He wants to see me,” he commented then.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, the two leaders will discuss Iran – Israel’s arch-enemy – after the 12-day war between the two countries in June. They are also expected to discuss Syria, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and, most importantly, the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.
The US administration and regional mediators, led by Egypt and Qatar, are calling for an acceleration of the process to begin this new phase.
The US is increasingly frustrated by Netanyahu’s actions
Based on a US peace plan overseen by Trump, the truce ended two years of a deadly and destructive war in October. However, it remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
The second phase calls for the disarmament of Hamas, the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli military from all of Gaza, the creation of a transitional authority and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
Before the start of negotiations on these thorny issues, Israel is demanding the return of the body of the last hostage in Gaza, policeman Ran Gwili. Hamas claims it has yet to locate his remains.
According to US news outlet Axios, citing White House officials, the Trump administration wants to announce a government of Palestinian technocrats – the planned Gaza Transitional Authority – as soon as possible.
The website notes that senior US officials are “increasingly frustrated by Netanyahu’s actions, which undermine the fragile truce and peace process.”
