On Monday morning (Sept. 29), President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. The purpose of the meeting between the two leaders was to discuss potential plans for the Gaza region once the two-year conflict ends. Trump announced the meeting on his Truth Social media platform over the past weekend, as the United Nations General Assembly came to a close.
The Trump administration is poised to present a 21-point plan to Netanyahu, which contains several “red lines” for Israel to respect, which includes the country not annexing parts of the occupied West Bank. The plan was met with approval by representatives from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia.
The conflict, which began Oct. 7, 2023, after a surprise attack by Hamas, led to the abduction of hundreds and about 1,200 killed. In the two years since, Israel states that 20 hostages are still being held by Hamas, along with the bodies of 25 others. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 65,000 Palestinians have died during the war, including thousands of children and other non-combatants, including journalists and humanitarian support.
Netanyahu has resisted any compromise in the past months of negotiations; the meeting on Monday is actually the fourth between the two world leaders, and the first since Israel’s bold bombing attack in Qatar on Sept. 9 in which they claim they were targeting leaders of Hamas. Far-right members of the Israeli government have backed Netanyahu in continuing the war against the terror organization, hoping to occupy the entire West Bank and build more Jewish settlements, and move the Palestinians out of Israel entirely.
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu expressed hope that Israel could agree to Trump’s proposal. “We’re working on it; it’s not been finalized yet,” he stated. While Hamas representatives said they haven’t formally received a copy of the cease-fire proposal, Vice President JD Vance shared his optimism that a deal could be reached but said it could “get derailed at the very last minute.”
Israel has been facing increasing global condemnation in the last few months. The International Criminal Court has a warrant out against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes, and several nations walked out on his address of the General Assembly at the United Nations on Friday (Sept. 26). Longtime European allies, including France, have recognized Palestine as a sovereign state – notably, the United States does not.
