Netanyahu's Visit to the United States is "Crucial" for the Future of the Gaza Agreement

SadaNews Translation - President Trump plans to announce several important decisions regarding Gaza in early January, but the next steps depend on his meeting on Monday at Mar-a-Lago with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the American Axios website.

Officials in the White House believe that Netanyahu is slowing down the peace process and fear he might reignite the war with Hamas. However, while the Israeli Prime Minister is at odds with Trump's team, he hopes to persuade the President himself to adopt his more hardline perspective, according to a senior Israeli official.

The White House wants to unveil a Palestinian technocratic government and an international stabilization force for Gaza as soon as possible, according to SadaNews, potentially even holding a peace council meeting chaired by Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos later in January, officials in the White House said.

As Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner work with Egyptians, Qataris, and Turks to finalize these agreements and pave the way for the second phase of the agreement, which entails the transfer of weapons from Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

However, Netanyahu expressed skepticism about Witkoff and Kushner’s ideas, particularly regarding the disarmament of Gaza, during a recent meeting with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in Jerusalem, according to an informed source. This sets the stage for the crucial meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in Florida.

Without Netanyahu's approval, the peace process cannot advance

A senior Israeli official stated: "It is a crucial meeting. It’s unclear whether Trump shares Witkoff and Kushner’s opinions. Bibi is trying to convince a lone audience. The question is whether Trump will side with him or with his senior advisors on Gaza. Who knows what Trump will choose?"

Point of contention: Frustration among Trump's close team has grown as Netanyahu takes steps to undermine the fragile ceasefire and disrupt the peace process.

Similar to the previous Biden administration, Trump's team has found itself in disagreements with the Israelis for weeks over tactical issues such as opening the Rafah crossing with Egypt and providing tents for displaced Palestinians seeking shelter during the winter.

A White House official told Axios, as translated by SadaNews: "JD, Marco, Jared, Steve, and Suzy have lost. All that's left is the President, who still has affection for him, but even he wants to see the Gaza agreement advance at a faster pace than it currently is."

A senior Israeli official confirmed the discrepancies between Witkoff and Kushner on one hand and Netanyahu on the other, but claimed that Rubio is much closer to the Israeli Prime Minister's position.

In this context, another White House official referred to the 20-point peace plan that Netanyahu approved, saying: "It has seemed for a while that the Israelis feel regret about what they bought. Implementing the Gaza agreement is challenging enough, but sometimes the Israelis do things that make it harder."

These steps include the assassination of a prominent military leader in Hamas who was leading several attacks, which the Trump administration viewed as a violation of the ceasefire.

A third White House official, referring to the Israeli army, said: "Sometimes we feel that the Israeli military leaders on the ground are hasty in using force."

Interestingly, it was Netanyahu who proposed the idea of meeting with Trump during the holiday period in a phone call on December 1, according to officials in the White House.

Trump expressed his happiness to meet with Netanyahu, and the Israeli Prime Minister took his word seriously, as his team leaked news of the meeting taking place at Mar-a-Lago and pressured the White House for a timeline, according to White House officials.

Initially, Trump was not sure of the need to meet Netanyahu this quickly, for the fifth time since returning to office, according to officials.

However, as days passed, the timing of the meeting became beneficial for the White House, particularly before the anticipated announcement of the peace council in Gaza in January.

Current situation: Witkoff and Kushner met last Friday in Miami with the Prime Minister of Qatar, the head of Egyptian intelligence, and the Turkish Foreign Minister to discuss the next steps in Gaza. These four countries are the guarantors of the peace agreement.

A senior White House official stated that one goal of the meeting was to identify Netanyahu's demands before his meeting with Trump.

The White House official added that they agreed that Trump would raise with Netanyahu the need for the Israeli army to adhere to the ceasefire and avoid civilian casualties.

Both parties also agreed to move forward with forming the technocratic government as soon as possible to take over the management of daily state affairs, instead of Hamas.

A White House official clarified that the United States has vetted all possible candidates, and their names have been presented to several countries in the region.

The Palestinian government will be supported by the peace council headed by Trump and his senior representative on the ground.