WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, with the Oval Office talks focusing on a US-backed plan to end Israel’s devastating war in Gaza.
Donald Trump will host Netanyahu in his fourth visit since returning to office in January, seeking to secure Israel’s agreement to a peace framework after a string of Western countries, including Britain, France, Canada and Australia, formally recognized Palestinian statehood in defiance of American and Israeli opposition.
According to Reuters, the right-wing Israeli leader hopes to shore up his country’s most important alliance at a time of deepening international isolation. Netanyahu can expect a warmer reception in Washington than at the United Nations last week, when scores of delegates walked out during his General Assembly speech.
Global Pressure and Ceasefire Push
Trump has described the initiative as going beyond Gaza to a wider Middle East settlement, crediting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan and Egypt for supporting the plan.
Trump, who had criticized the recognition moves as a prize to Hamas, opens new tab, told Reuters on Sunday he hopes to get Netanyahu’s agreement on a framework, opens new tab to end the war in the Palestinian enclave and free the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
“We’re getting a very good response because Bibi wants to make the deal too,” Trump said in a telephone interview, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “Everybody wants to make the deal.”
He credited leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Jordan and Egypt for their assistance and said the deal aims to go beyond Gaza to a broader Middle East peace.
“It’s called peace in the Middle East, more than Gaza. Gaza is a part of it. But it’s peace in the Middle East,” he said.
Asked whether there is now an agreed deal for peace in Gaza, a senior Israeli official said “it’s too early to tell.” The official added that Netanyahu would give Israel’s response to the proposal when he meets Trump on Monday.
Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from the hostages’ families and, according to public opinion polls, a war-weary Israeli public.
A 21-point draft circulated to Arab and Muslim leaders on the UN sidelines last week calls for the release of all hostages, an end to Israeli strikes on Qatar, and the launch of new talks between Israelis and Palestinians for “peaceful coexistence.”
But senior Israeli officials say it is “too early to tell” whether a deal is within reach, stressing that Netanyahu will deliver Israel’s formal response when he meets Trump.
Gaza’s Civilian Toll
The Oval Office meeting comes against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest wars of the 21st century. Nearly 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities, the majority of them women, children, and unarmed civilians. Whole neighbourhoods lie in ruins, with famine spreading and the United Nations repeatedly warning of looming genocide.
Despite mounting global outrage, including calls from the UN and international humanitarian agencies for an immediate ceasefire, Israel has pressed ahead with its military offensive. The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, charges Israel rejects.
Rising Pressure on Netanyahu
The Israeli leader faces mounting domestic pressure from the families of hostages still held in Gaza, and polls suggest a war-weary public is increasingly sceptical of his government’s handling of the conflict.
His fiery attack at the UN last week on Western governments that recognized Palestinian statehood — accusing them of proving that “murdering Jews pays off” — underscored his defiance. But some of Netanyahu’s hardline ministers have gone further, urging formal annexation of the West Bank in response.
On Thursday, however, Trump publicly ruled out Israeli annexation, warning it could unravel the Abraham Accords — the normalization deals with several Arab states that he brokered during his first term.
