Israeli PM Netanyahu says he will meet Trump to discuss second phase of Gaza plan soon

JERUSALEM - Israel expects to move to the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan soon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Dec 7, adding that he would discuss “opportunities for peace” with President Donald Trump when he meets him later in December. 

“We very shortly expect to move to the second phase, which is more difficult, or equally difficult,” Mr Netanyahu said, speaking at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “We’re almost there.”

Under Mr Trump’s proposal for Gaza, troops from several Muslim-majority nations, including Indonesia and Azerbaijan, would join an International Stabilisation Force working with Egypt and Israel to help maintain order as the Israel Defence Forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The plan also envisions a transitional government to be set up under a “Board of Peace.”

The prime minister’s office in November said that Mr Trump had invited Mr Netanyahu to the White House “in the near future”, although a date for the visit has not yet been made public.

Mr Netanyahu said that he would discuss with Mr Trump how to bring an end to Hamas rule in Gaza. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is entering its second month, although both sides have

repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce agreement

.

The return of the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage in Gaza would conclude the first phase of the plan. In the second phase, Hamas must be

disarmed and Gaza demilitarised

, Mr Netanyahu said, adding that the third phase of the plan must be to “de-radicalise Gaza.”

Israel retained control of 53 per cent of Gaza under the first phase of Mr Trump’s plan, which involved the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza and of Palestinians detained by Israel.

The final hostage remains to be handed over are those of an Israeli police officer killed on Oct 7, 2023 fighting Gazan militants who had invaded Israel.

“We’ll get him out,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Since the ceasefire started in October, the militant group has reestablished itself in the rest of Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu said one of the topics he’ll raise with Mr Trump is the peace opportunities now “at hand,” following what he described as two years of sustained blows to Iran and its proxies. Israel intends to capitalise on these opportunities, he said, without offering further details.

He added that he plans to discuss with Mr Trump the timeline for disarming Hamas, including whether international forces might deploy to Gaza and – if so – from which countries. If not, he said the two will discuss alternative solutions. Another priority will be ensuring that the commitments laid out in the second phase are fully achieved, he said.

German chancellor: Phase two must come now

While Mr Merz concurred that Hamas must be disarmed and can have no role in Gaza’s future, the two leaders diverged on whether a Palestinian state should ultimately be created.

He said the best solution for the region is a Palestinian state alongside Israel, although Germany – unlike other European states – has refrained from recognising such an entity, as it currently lacks the prerequisites for an independent state.

Germany doesn’t plan to recognise a Palestinian state in the foreseeable future, he said.

Some of Israel’s neighbours accept Israel’s right to live in peace and security, and others do not, the German leader said. 

“One day, the Palestinians themselves will have to decide which path they want to take,” Mr Merz said.

“We believe there’s a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states and a path also to establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbours,” Mr Netanyahu said. “But we’re not going to create a state that will be committed to our destruction at our doorstep.”

Mr Merz said that Germany was willing to help rebuild Gaza but would wait for Mr Netanyahu’s meeting with Mr Trump, and for clarity on what Washington was prepared to do, before Berlin decides what it would contribute but that phase two “must come now”.

Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes since the ceasefire came into effect that it says are fending off attacks or destroying militant infrastructure. Gaza’s health ministry says 373 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire started. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants.

Netanyahu: West Bank annexation remains a subject of discussion

Mr Netanyahu said that he would also discuss with Mr Trump “opportunities for peace”, an apparent reference to US efforts for Israel to establish formal ties with Arab and Muslim states.

“We believe there’s a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states, and a path also to establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbours,” Mr Netanyahu said, asserting Israel would always insist on security control of the West Bank.

Mr Trump has said he promised Muslim leaders that Israel would not annex the occupied West Bank, where Mr Netanyahu’s government is backing the development of Jewish settlements.

The “question of political annexation” of the West Bank remains a subject of discussion, Mr Netanyahu said.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Dec 7 that continued Israeli strikes are causing “a lot of uncertainty” around Middle East stability, while noting that Iran’s tense standoff with the US also remains unresolved.

Qatar is acting as a mediator in the ceasefire talks alongside Eqypt. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS