Netanyahu to meet Trump as Israel faces isolation over Gaza war

Facing expanding isolation overseas and mounting unit astatine home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu volition support his volition to “finish the job” successful Gaza erstwhile helium meets US President Donald Trump connected Monday.

The gathering comes days aft Trump unveiled a 21-point program aimed astatine ending the warfare successful the Palestinian territory during discussions with Arab and Muslim leaders connected the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

On Sunday, Trump hinted astatine “something special” to travel successful Middle East talks, adding successful a station connected his Truth Social platform: “WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!”

On Friday, Trump had told reporters successful Washington “I deliberation we person a deal” connected Gaza, adjacent arsenic Netanyahu, speaking astatine the UN, vowed to “finish the job” successful Israel’s warfare against Hamas.

But experts told AFP that Netanyahu appeared to beryllium cornered, facing increasing planetary and home calls to extremity the war.

“He has nary different prime but to accept” Trump’s program for a ceasefire, said Eytan Gilboa, an adept connected US-Israel relations astatine Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.

“Simply due to the fact that the United States and Trump person remained astir his lone state successful the planetary community.”

– ‘Comprehensive agreement’ –

In Israel, tens of thousands of protesters person pressured Netanyahu to hold to a ceasefire, and connected Saturday they urged Trump to usage his influence.

“The lone happening that tin halt the descent into the abyss is simply a full, broad statement that ends the warfare and brings each the hostages and the soldiers home,” said Lishay Miran-Lavi, woman of Omri Miran, who remains captive successful Gaza.

Directly addressing Trump, she urged: “Use your power with Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

Israel’s planetary isolation has deepened successful caller days, with countries including the UK, France, Canada and Australia officially recognising Palestinian statehood, breaking with longstanding US-led diplomatic protocols.

Trump’s 21-point plan, according to a diplomatic source, envisions a imperishable ceasefire, the merchandise of hostages, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a large influx of humanitarian aid.

Arab and Muslim leaders welcomed the proposal, but person besides called for an contiguous halt to Israel’s subject operations and immoderate concern of Gaza.

Other elements of the program volition beryllium hard for Netanyahu to swallow, and could adjacent pb to the illness of his right-wing authorities coalition.

Among the astir arguable is the engagement of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) successful the aboriginal governance of Gaza.

The PA ruled the territory until Hamas seized power successful 2007, and its imaginable restoration represents a reddish enactment for Netanyahu’s hardline conjugation partners.

While the US connection conditions the PA’s instrumentality connected implementing betterment programmes, these changes “could instrumentality years” to materialise, Gilboa warned.

– ‘Broad consensus’ –

Several far-right ministers successful Netanyahu’s conjugation person threatened to illness the authorities if helium agrees to the PA’s return, oregon if helium ends the warfare without defeating Hamas.

However, absorption person Yair Lapid has offered a parliamentary “safety net”, promising his centrist Yesh Atid enactment would enactment a ceasefire and hostage-release woody — but it is not wide whether different absorption parties would travel suit.

“This benignant of wide program would request a wide consensus,” said Ksenia Svetlova, a erstwhile Knesset subordinate who present heads the determination practice NGO ROPES.

Svetlova predicted Netanyahu would lone judge parts of the deal, portion trying to negociate oregon postpone decisions connected different elements “seem hard successful this moment”.

Another contentious constituent successful the US connection is who would warrant information successful the Gaza Strip erstwhile the Israeli service pulls retired and Hamas is disarmed.

The connection envisions an planetary information unit comprising Palestinian unit alongside troops from Arab and Muslim nations.

However, captious details astir c...