Trump And Netanyahu Are To Meet In Florida At A Crucial Moment For The US-backed Gaza Ceasefire

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump Meeting planned with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu While Washington on Monday sought to create new momentum for a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, there could be a danger that that ceasefire could stall before it is finalised. complex second stage.

Trump could use the face-to-face meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to strengthen his strong relationship with Netanyahu and seek ways to speed up the peace process. Before that, Netanyahu met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Minister Pete Hegseth.

Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas The approach championed by Trump has mostly prevailed, but progress has slowed recently. both sides accuse each other of violationsDivisions emerged between the United States, Israel and Arab countries over the path to follow.

The first phase of the ceasefire began in October, just days after the second anniversary of the first Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages He was released after being taken alive or dead.

The Israeli leader signaled that he was in no rush to move on to the next stage as long as there were remains of the bodies. Ran Gvili they are still in Gaza. Netanyahu’s office said he met with Gvili’s parents in Florida.

Now comes the next, much more complicated part. Trump’s 20-point plan – Which approved Unveils an ambitious vision by the UN Security Council Ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss other issues, including Iran, where Trump insists its nuclear capabilities have been “completely and utterly destroyed.” US strikes nuclear facilities In June. Israeli officials are quoted in local media as expressing their concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles that can hit Israel.

Mona Yacoubian, director and senior advisor of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there are many important aspects of the second phase of the ceasefire that the Israeli leader does not support or even openly opposes.

“I think this is going to be a really difficult task for President Trump to get Netanyahu to accept,” he said.

“How he does this, what kind of pressure he puts on Netanyahu, I think will be important to follow,” Yacoubian said, adding that the two could have a “clash of broader approaches to the region.”

If successful, the second phase envisages the reconstruction of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision by a group chaired by Trump and known as the Peace Board. The Palestinians would form a “technocratic, apolitical” committee that would handle day-to-day affairs in Gaza under the supervision of the Peace Board.

It also calls for the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible path to Palestinian independence. There are also thorny logistical and humanitarian problems, including rebuilding war-torn Gaza, disarmament of Hamas, and the creation of a security apparatus called the Security Council. International Stabilization Force.

The Peace Board will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza under a two-year renewable UN mandate. Its members were expected to be determined by the end of the year and were even expected to be announced after Monday’s meeting, but the announcement may be postponed until next month.

Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to meet Trump at the White House in his second term, but this will be their first face-to-face meeting since Trump’s death. went to israel To mark the beginning of the first phase of the ceasefire in October. Netanyahu has been to Mar-a-Lago before, including in July 2024 when Trump was still seeking re-election.

Their last meeting came after the USA Middle East ambassador Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared KushnerOfficials from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, which brokered the ceasefire, met recently in Florida.

According to an official briefed on those meetings, two main challenges made it difficult to advance to the second phase. Israeli officials spend a lot of time vetting and approving members of the Palestinian technocratic committee from the list given to them by mediators, and Israel continues its military offensives.

Trump’s plan also calls for the establishment of a stabilization force, proposed as a multinational structure, to ensure security. But that has not occurred yet. It’s unclear whether details will be released after Monday’s meeting.

A Western diplomat said there was a “huge gap” between the US-Israeli understanding of the force’s mandate and that of other major countries in the region and European governments.

All spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not publicly available.

The US and Israel want the force to have a “command role” in security missions, including the disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups. But the countries invited to send troops feared the mandate would turn them into an “occupation force”, the diplomat said.

Hamas said it was ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its weapons arsenal but insisted it had the right to armed resistance as long as Israel occupied Palestinian territory. A potential plan, a U.S. official said, could be to offer cash incentives in exchange for weapons, reminiscent of the “buyback” program Witkoff had previously introduced.

Iyad Abu Sakla, a displaced man in Khan Younis, said Trump should encourage Netanyahu to allow Palestinians to return to their homes. Under the agreement, most Palestinians are allowed into an area half the size of Gaza.

Sakla said, “We are tired. This relocation is bad; the weather is cold and freezing. It is enough that we are lied to and our intelligence is insulted enough.”

Israeli bombardment and ground operations of neighborhoods in Gaza wastelands full of rubblewith blackened building shells and piles of debris stretching in every direction.

Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are pushing for a negotiated agreement to disarm Hamas and further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before moving on to next elements of the plan, including the deployment of international security forces and restructuring, three Arab officials said.

Three other officials, including two Americans, said the United Arab Emirates had agreed to finance reconstruction, including new communities, although they said plans were not yet finalized.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal negotiations between the various countries. The UAE did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington and Lee Keath and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.