Netanyahu to Confer with Trump in US During Concerns of Israeli Wider Campaigns
The Israeli premier is scheduled to confer with the US president at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday evening. This occurs as concerns increase that Israel could initiate new military actions against neighboring adversaries, potentially sending the Middle East deeper into instability.
The Israeli leader left Israel on Sunday, representing his fifth visit to see Trump in the United States this year.
Truce in Gaza and Upcoming Hurdles
A top priority will be the truce in Gaza, which in October halted the destructive two-year war. While the stipulations for an first stage have been for the most part completed, with Israeli forces pulling back to new positions and Hamas releasing the surviving and nearly all of the deceased hostages, significant challenges face the carrying out of the second phase of the US-brokered 20-point plan.
There are additionally concerns that Israel will launch new military campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon, breaking a ceasefire put in place more than a year ago, or against Iran, which it alleges of speeding up the development of ballistic missiles in the past few months.
“The first phase is basically over, there’s one remaining Israeli deceased hostage which [Hamas] are having difficulty finding,” commented an analyst involved in back-channel talks.
The two adversaries blame one another of violating the agreement. Hamas has declined to clearly commit to laying down its weapons and has had notable achievements in imposing its authority in the parts of Gaza where almost all population is situated. Israel appears unwilling to withdraw from the 53% of Gaza it now controls or to allow the unrestricted delivery of aid into the territory.
“The second phase has to begin … and I think the Americans realise that it’s late because Hamas has had too much time to re-establish its presence and this is definitely not a situation that the Americans want to perpetuate,” the expert stated.
Civilian Cost and Present Conditions
More than 70,000 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, died in Gaza during the war and the vast majority of the territory’s 2.3 million population was displaced. Roughly 400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, and huge numbers continue to live in conditions of acute hardship.
In recent weeks, downpours and freezing conditions have exacerbated the misery in Gaza, where most housing and infrastructure have been heavily damaged or destroyed.
The war was triggered by a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel in 2023, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 250 others captured.
Future Steps and Political Frustrations
Under the subsequent phases of the roadmap, an provisional government made up of nonaligned Palestinian technocrats is to administer the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas. An international stabilisation force of thousands of troops is to be sent in.
US officials have indicated the make-up of the new authority could be made public in January.
Reports indicate that senior US officials are growing frustrated “as Netanyahu has taken steps to weaken the fragile ceasefire and stall the peace process”.
“There are growing evidence that the American administration is getting impatient with Netanyahu,” observed a foreign policy specialist. “The question is what it’s going to do about it, because phase 2 is right now going stalled.”
Netanyahu's Key Objectives
For Netanyahu, a priority will be urging Trump to allow Israel to act to prevent Iran from rebounding inflicted on its nuclear programme or expanding its ballistic missile capabilities.
Meanwhile, efforts to secure a stability deal between Israel and Syria have failed to make significant progress and will also be on the agenda at Mar-a-Lago. Israeli officials have also called for more decisive measures to disarm Hezbollah.
Netanyahu has an election within 10 months, and the looming polls will shape his agenda. “Everything is connected to [his] staying in power,” an analyst said.
Polls indicate Netanyahu’s current coalition would have a hard time to form a government if elections were held now. Many voters are frustrated over the shortcomings that led to the 2023 Hamas raid, moves concerning military service exemptions, and a series of scandals.
A strong bond with Trump would strengthen Netanyahu’s appeal among swing voters and his base. This implies any public disagreement between the two leaders is highly improbable, analysts said.
Netanyahu is expected to seek to convince Trump of the need for Israel to maintain a technological superiority over potential regional enemies. Many Israeli officials were shaken by past US comments regarding advanced weapons sales to other regional states.
