Washington, Feb 4: President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet Tuesday as the Israeli prime minister faces competing pressure from his right-wing coalition to end a temporary truce against Hamas militants in Gaza and from war-weary Israelis who want the remaining hostages home and the 15-month conflict to end.
Trump is guarded about the long-term prospects for the truce, even as he takes credit for pressuring Hamas and Israel into the hostage and ceasefire agreement that went into effect the day before he returned to office last month.
“I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold,” Trump told reporters on Monday.
The leaders’ talks are expected to touch on a long-sought Israel-Saudi Arabia normalisation deal and concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, but hammering out the second phase of the hostage deal will be at the top of the agenda.
Netanyahu’s arrival in Washington for the first foreign leader visit of Trump’s second term comes as the prime minister’s popular support is lagging.
Netanyahu is in the middle of weekslong testimony in an ongoing corruption trial that centres on allegations he exchanged favours with media moguls and wealthy associates. He has decried the accusations and said he is the victim of a “witch hunt.”
Being seen with Trump, who is popular in Israel, could help distract the public from the trial and boost Netanyahu’s standing.
It’s Netanyahu’s first travel outside Israel since the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for him, his former defence minister and Hamas’ slain military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza. The US does not recognise the ICC’s authority over its citizens or territory.
Netanyahu and Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday began the daunting work of brokering the next phase of a ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu said in statement that the meeting with Witkoff and US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz was “positive and friendly.”
The Israeli leader said he would send a delegation to Qatar to continue indirect talks with Hamas that are being mediated by the Gulf Arab country, the first confirmation that those negotiations would continue.
Netanyahu also said he would convene his security Cabinet to discuss Israel’s demands for the next phase of the ceasefire when he returns to Israel at the end of the week. (AP)
