Trump and Netanyahu demand Hamas disarmament, warn Iran and disagree on West Bank
The US president welcomes the Israeli prime minister to his private residence in Florida, with the future of the Middle East on the table
The latest meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu served to bring various issues relating to security in the Middle East to the table.
Mutual praise
In a setting different from the formality of previous meetings at the White House, President Trump welcomed Netanyahu to his private residence in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, and showered the Israeli Prime Minister with praise at a time when the latter's position is increasingly being questioned.
Trump did not hesitate to say that Netanyahu ‘is the best president of Israel’ and that ‘without him, Israel would not exist’. According to the US president, the Israeli prime minister ‘should be pardoned by his country because he is a war hero’. His relationship with him ‘could not be better’ because together they have achieved peace in the Middle East after stopping Iran. ‘We agree on practically everything,’ Trump said.
For his part, Netanyahu responded to Trump's praise by saying that ‘it is a blessing’ that Donald Trump is the president of the United States and that his country ‘has never had a friend like Trump’.
Peace plan for Gaza
Aside from the flowery exchanges between the two, the bilateral meeting served to put on the table several issues affecting security in the Middle East, such as the second phase of the peace plan for Gaza; the possible rearmament of Iran; the Abraham Accords; and the relationship between Israel and Syria.
With regard to the peace plan for Gaza, after an initial phase marked by a ceasefire, the release of living hostages, the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops and an increase in humanitarian aid, a more complex second phase now lies ahead, with challenges such as security, political power and the reconstruction of Gaza.
According to Trump, Hamas has ‘a short period of time’ to disarm. ‘If they don't do it as agreed, they will have to pay for not keeping their word.’ For the Trump administration, the issue of Hamas' disarmament, supervised by international powers, is a red line that will determine the future of the ceasefire.
The US president has assured that Israel has complied ‘100%’ with the plan and has promoted a new scheme for government, security and reconstruction, conditional on the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international force under US supervision.
However, the issue of disarmament remains unresolved, according to recent statements by the spokesman for the Islamist militia that controls the Gaza Strip, the al-Qassam Brigades, who said that the Palestinian people ‘will not give up their weapons as long as the occupation continues’ and defended ‘their inherent right’ to respond to Israel's ‘crimes’.
Differences in the West Bank
The only dissent that has emerged between the US and Israeli leaders has been over the situation in the West Bank. In this regard, Trump has acknowledged some differences with Netanyahu over this territory, although he has not wanted to specify the reason for them.
According to the US president, "we have had a discussion, a big discussion, for a long time about the West Bank.
And I wouldn't say we're 100% in agreement on them, but we'll come to a conclusion."
Iran
Where they have shown a firm joint stance is on Iran. Trump has toughened his rhetoric after warning that the Iranian government may be trying to rebuild its military capabilities in locations other than those attacked by the United States earlier this year.
‘I hope Iran is not trying to rebuild, as I have read, weapons and other things. If so, we will have no choice but to quickly eradicate that build-up. They should have accepted the agreement after the last attack,’ warned President Donald Trump.
Abraham Accords
On the other hand, although also in relation to the stability and future of the Middle East, the US president referred to the so-called Abraham Accords, promoted by himself during his previous term as US president, and signed in 2020 by representatives of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
These diplomatic normalisation agreements allowed for the establishment of diplomatic, economic and security ties, seeking peace and cooperation in the Middle East.
Now, Trump has announced his intention to expand the Accords, integrating Israel, and has acknowledged his friendship with the Saudi Arabian president, whom he hopes will ‘sign soon’ these agreements.
The incorporation of Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords would be a significant coup, given the influence that the country may have over other Middle Eastern nations. Indeed, international observers speculate that the possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords at the end of 2023 could have been one of the triggers for the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israeli territory on 7 October of that year.
Syria
Finally, the meeting between the US and Israeli leaders did not ignore another focus of conflict in the Middle East, namely Syria. In this regard, Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that his intention is to have ‘a peaceful border’ with Syria: ‘We want security for ourselves and for Christians too,’ said the Israeli Prime Minister.
For his part, Donald Trump praised Syrian leader Ahmed Al Sharaa and said, ‘I think everything will be fine between Syria and Israel.’