Washington D.C. : Speculation is rising that the Trump administration may announce a finalized plan to end the conflict in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House meeting with US President Donald Trump. The addition of a press conference to the meeting has heightened expectations, according to The Times of Israel.
The US has reportedly secured preliminary support from key Arab and Muslim partners essential for managing postwar Gaza. However, Israel continues to deliberate over the plan, while Hamas has stated that it has not been presented with it. One of the plan’s 21 points suggests that several measures including the establishment of a transitional Palestinian technocrat government and an international stabilization force in Hamas cleared areas can proceed even without Hamas’s agreement. Yet, without the release of the remaining 48 hostages, Israel is unlikely to halt its military operations in Gaza City and surrounding areas.
Ahead of his White House visit, Netanyahu met with West Bank settlement leaders on Sunday night. He acknowledged the “complicated reality” of the situation, signaling that Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank is improbable. Settlement leaders and right-wing allies have pressed for sovereignty over sections of the West Bank, partly in response to increased international recognition of a Palestinian state. However, Trump has ruled out annexation, and the UAE has labeled it a “red line,” according to The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel must “navigate a complicated reality,” while praising Trump as a “supportive president” in contrast to the previous Obama administration, which opposed even minor settlement expansion. The Israeli leader reinforced that the clear direction on settlements remains: no to a Palestinian state, yes to applying sovereignty in selective areas.