(The Post News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to the White House on Monday for critical meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, while Washington is championing a new Gaza peace initiative and Israel’s war with Hamas reaches its second year.
Trump “Very Confident” About Gaza Peace Chances
Journalists asked Trump before the bilateral meeting if he believed peace in Gaza was possible. “I am; I’m very confident,” Trump said, as Netanyahu shook his hand and added, “I hope so.” It was unclear if Netanyahu’s remark directly responded to the exchange, but the moment underscored the uncertain prospects of any breakthrough.
It is Netanyahu’s fourth trip since Donald Trump became president in January. The trip comes as Israel faces worsening diplomatic isolation after a series of recent Palestinian state recognitions by Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and other US allies. Netanyahu denounces the action, deeming it at the United Nations last week a “disgraceful decision.”
Despite Israeli opposition to recent global initiatives, Trump is boasting a 21 -point plan for the end of the Gaza war. The plan, which was set forth last week to Muslim and Arab states, includes the release of all hostages, alive or dead. An end to the Israeli airstrikes against Qatar. A return to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to achieve “peaceful coexistence.” In a Reuters interview on Sunday, Trump expressed optimism: “We’re getting a very good response because Bibi wants to make the deal too. Everybody wants to make the deal.”
Israeli officials, however, remain cautious. “It’s too early to tell,” one senior official said when asked whether an agreement was near. Netanyahu is expected to formally respond to the plan during Monday’s White House talks. But on Saturday, the Israeli military stated its soldiers “continue to fight terrorists” in the city of Gaza. The military also stated that it had shattered Hamas’ strongholds, seized weapons, and killed militants.
Palestinian health authorities, however, reported a bleaker toll, with 66 reported dead over the last 24 hours, including civilians who were trying to receive food aid. Among them were six killed close to food distribution points and a correspondent who was injured by Israeli tank fire.
Things are getting worse for the displaced Palestinians. Mohammed al-Buhaisi, who was among the ones forced to flee northern Gaza, regretted going out: “I wish I had stayed in the north and died there. Although it’s risky, at least there is food and water. Here it is safer, but there is practically no food.” Another displaced man added, “We always say our desire is for things to get better. Everything is getting worse.”
Netanyahu’s Defiant Speech at the UN
Netanyahu’s Friday speech to a half-empty chamber, following dozens of delegations having walked out, showed no softening by Israel. Netanyahu ruled out a two-state solution as “sheer madness.” His case was: “To grant the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is akin to granting al-Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11. It’s madness, and we won’t do it.”
The address emphasized Israel’s growing isolation, even as Netanyahu insists the Gaza campaign is a question of national survival. The White House have a number of rival priorities. In addition to the Gaza war, the Trump administration is set to send federal soldiers to Portland, Oregon, in the midst of domestic unrest. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also has a major speech to deliver to the top American military leaders on reshaping the “warrior ethos.”
Still, Gaza tops the agenda in Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu. For the hostage families, war-weary Israelis, and the Palestinian bloc under siege, the result of this meeting might well decide whether war continues to simmer or the path to peace begins to be forged.
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