Netanyahu to Meet Trump in US Amidst Apprehensions of Israeli Regional Campaigns

Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday evening. This takes place as worries mount that Israel could initiate new operations against regional foes, risking dragging the Middle East further into instability.

The Israeli leader departed Israel on Sunday, representing his fifth meeting to see Trump in the United States in the current year.

Truce in Gaza and Looming Challenges

High on the agenda will be the halt in hostilities in Gaza, which in October halted the devastating two-year war. While the conditions for an first stage have been mostly completed, with Israeli forces withdrawing to new positions and Hamas releasing all living and nearly all of the deceased hostages, immense challenges face the execution of the second phase of the president's 20-point plan.

There are also fears that Israel will undertake new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, shattering a ceasefire put in place more than a year ago, or against Iran, which it accuses of speeding up the development of ballistic missiles in the past few months.

“The initial stage is essentially over, there’s one remaining Israeli deceased hostage which [Hamas] are having difficulty finding,” noted an analyst involved in back-channel talks.

Both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement. Hamas has failed to explicitly commit to laying down its weapons and has had notable achievements in re-establishing its rule in the parts of Gaza where the vast majority of population is located. Israel seems unwilling to retreat from the 53% of Gaza it now controls or to allow the unrestricted delivery of aid into the region.

“Phase 2 has to begin … and I think the Americans realise that it’s late because Hamas has had too much time to reorganize and this is certainly not a situation that the Americans want to leave in place,” the expert added.

Humanitarian Impact and Present Conditions

More than 70,000 Palestinians, largely civilians, lost their lives in Gaza during the war and the vast majority of the territory’s 2.3 million population was forced from their homes. Approximately 400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire, and a great many continue to live in conditions of acute hardship.

In recent weeks, downpours and freezing conditions have compounded the misery in Gaza, where most housing and infrastructure have been heavily damaged or destroyed.

The war was sparked by a sudden assault by Hamas in southern Israel in 2023, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 250 others abducted.

Subsequent Phases and Political Frustrations

Under the subsequent phases of the plan, an transitional administration made up of independent Palestinian experts is to administer the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas. An global security contingent of thousands of troops is to be sent in.

US officials have hinted the membership of the new authority could be revealed in January.

Reports indicate that senior US officials are becoming impatient “as Netanyahu has taken steps to undermine the unstable peace and delay the peace process”.

“There are increasing indications that the American administration is getting impatient with Netanyahu,” observed a foreign policy specialist. “The question is what it’s going to do about it, because phase 2 is right now going nowhere.”

The Prime Minister's Priorities

For Netanyahu, a priority will be urging Trump to allow Israel to act to prevent Iran from rebounding inflicted on its nuclear programme or expanding its ballistic missile capabilities.

Meanwhile, efforts to secure a security agreement between Israel and Syria have failed to make significant progress and will also be a topic at Mar-a-Lago. Israeli officials have also called for more decisive measures to disarm Hezbollah.

Netanyahu has an election within 10 months, and the looming polls will affect his agenda. “Everything is connected to [his] remaining in office,” an analyst said.

Surveys indicate Netanyahu’s current coalition would face difficulties to form a government if elections were held now. Many voters are angry over the shortcomings that led to the 2023 Hamas raid, policies concerning military service exemptions, and a series of scandals.

A close relationship with Trump would reinforce Netanyahu’s appeal among floating voters and his base. This suggests any open rift between the two leaders is highly improbable, analysts said.

Netanyahu is expected to seek to convince Trump of the need for Israel to maintain a technological superiority over potential regional enemies. Many Israeli officials were concerned by earlier US comments regarding advanced weapons sales to other regional states.