According to The Times of Israel, citing Channel 13, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Strategic Affairs Adviser Ron Dermer met today at their hotel in New York with US special envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages.
Trump’s team is pressuring Netanyahu to accept the plan, Channel 12 reports. The former US president presented his initiative on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to eight Arab and Muslim leaders. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law – who played a key role in the 2020 “Deal of the Century” and the Abraham Accords – is heavily involved in shaping the framework.
“Continuing the war will further isolate Israel, but accepting the plan and ending the war will allow Israel to emerge from isolation and move in a more positive direction in the region, with US backing,” a US source told Channel 12.
However, according to Channel 12, Netanyahu is uneasy with the fact that Trump’s plan does not require Hamas to disarm and Gaza to be demilitarized as preconditions for ending the war, but only afterward. The prime minister also objects to the provision placing Gaza’s new governing mechanism under the authority of the UN Security Council.
The framework also includes a role for the Palestinian Authority in administering parts of the Gaza Strip, public broadcaster Kan reports. Sources close to Netanyahu told the outlet that Israel will likely have to agree to the PA controlling at least some of the territory after the war – a scenario the prime minister has repeatedly vowed to reject.
Meanwhile, Channel 12 reports that Palestinian representatives at the UN are working to organize a walkout during Netanyahu’s speech tomorrow, which they hope will be joined by Arab, African, and even some European countries.
AFP
Comments