Daijiworld Media Network - Florida
Florida, Dec 28: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart for the United States on Sunday and is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in Florida a day later, an Israeli official said.
This will be Netanyahu’s fifth visit to the United States to meet Trump this year. The visit comes as the Trump administration, along with regional mediators, seeks to advance talks on moving to the second stage of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In mid-December, Trump had indicated that Netanyahu was likely to visit him in Florida during the Christmas holidays. “He would like to see me. We haven’t set it up formally, but he’d like to see me,” Trump said before leaving for his Mar-a-Lago resort.
According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the talks are expected to cover a broad range of regional issues, including Iran, discussions on a possible Israel-Syria security agreement, the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the next phases of the Gaza deal.
Progress towards the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, brokered in October by Washington and its regional allies, has been slow. The truce remains fragile, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violations, while mediators fear deliberate stalling by both sides.
Under the proposed second stage, Israel is expected to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority would govern the territory in place of Hamas, and an international stabilisation force would be deployed. The plan also includes a provision for Hamas to lay down its weapons, a key sticking point in the negotiations.
On Friday, US news outlet Axios reported that the Trump-Netanyahu meeting would be crucial in advancing the next steps of the deal. Citing White House officials, the report said the administration wants to announce a Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and the international stabilisation force at the earliest.
Axios also reported that senior Trump officials have grown increasingly frustrated, alleging that Netanyahu has taken steps that undermine the fragile ceasefire and delay the peace process.
Yedioth Ahronoth added that concerns over Iran rebuilding its nuclear programme and ballistic missile capabilities are likely to be high on Netanyahu’s agenda during the talks.