The President of the United States, Donald Trump, will meet this Monday (29) with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump is expected to push for , while Netanyahu is expected to warn about Israel’s concerns about Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.
Netanyahu said he was invited by Trump to the talks, as Washington pushes to establish a transitional government and international security force for Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister, who is expected to visit Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, said on December 22 that discussions should include the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, as well as Iran and Lebanon.
The US brokered a ceasefire and took action against Iran’s military infrastructure, but Israel fears its enemies will restructure after being considerably weakened in the war.
Ceasefire in Gaza
Israel and Hamas agreed in October to Trump’s ceasefire plan, which calls for the Palestinian group to abandon its weapons and not participate in a new government in the territory.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington wants the transitional government envisioned in Trump’s plan – a Peace Council and a body made up of Palestinian technocrats – to come to power soon to govern Gaza, before the deployment of the international security force that was approved by a UN Security Council resolution.
But Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of serious violations of the agreement and do not appear to accept the steps to the next phase.
Hamas, which refused to lay down its weapons and did not return the body of the last Israeli hostage, has reasserted its control as Israeli troops remain in about half the territory.
Israel has indicated that if Hamas is not peacefully disarmed, it will resume military action.
Although the fighting has decreased, it has not completely ceased. Although the ceasefire officially began in October, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 Palestinians – most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials – and Palestinian fighters have killed three Israeli soldiers.
