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President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet Monday at the Mar-a-Lago presidential property in Palm Beach, Florida, as the Trump administration intends to move into the second phase of the Gaza peace plan.
After Netanyahu’s arrival, Mr. Trump said “as quickly as possible…there has to be disarmament,” when asked how soon the second phase of the peace plan could begin. “We have to disarm Hamas, so that’s certainly one of the things we’ll talk about. But there has to be a disarmament of Hamas. If not, very quickly.”
The president said the two had about five major issues to discuss on Monday, including Gaza. The first phase of the peace plan called for an immediate ceasefire, as well as the return of all hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid. But the second phase, which involves the disarmament of the terrorist group and the effective end of the Hamas regime, replaced by transitional governance, remains elusive. Hamas, refusing to disarm, has not yet returned all the remains of Israeli hostages, and Israel has recently carried out some strikes in Gaza. Mr. Trump said the family of a man still missing was at Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
Mr. Trump praised Netanyahu, telling reporters “he’s a wartime prime minister who is a hero.” And the president said he had spoken with Israeli President Isaac Herzog about a pardon for Netanyahu, who faces charges of corruption and fraud.
“How can you not forgive, you know?” » said Mr. Trump. “I think it’s a very difficult thing not to do it. … He tells me it’s on the way.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Netanyahu before Mr. Trump’s meeting. Netanyahu’s visit comes a week after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, met with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to discuss the next steps in the peace plan.
THE Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into force in November, more than two years after the war began with Hamas-led terrorists attacking southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
This is the sixth meeting between Mr. Trump and Netanyahu since the president took office in January.
Netanyahu’s visit follows that of Mr. Trump. meeting Sunday at Mar-a-Lago with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the U.S. president continues to try to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. After that meeting, Mr. Trump and Zelensky said they were almost in agreement on a peace plan for Ukraine, and the Ukrainian leader praised what he called “strong security guarantees” from the United States. But Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Mr. Trump spoke before and after his meeting with Zelensky, has shown no willingness to compromise on his territorial demands. Russia attacked Kyiv shortly before Mr. Trump’s meeting with Zelensky.
Mr. Trump spent the vacation at his Mar-a-Lago estate, mixing golf and meetings with world leaders. The president will return to the White House after the New Year.
