On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump will meet to discuss a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the first months of which raise fears of renewed regional hostilities in the new year, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
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Trump will host Netanyahu, his most frequent foreign guest, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after hearing complaints from Arab and Muslim partners about ongoing Israeli military strikes on the war-torn and now divided Palestinian enclave, as well as in Lebanon and Syria.
Israel says it is repelling new threats from Islamist armed groups. Chief among them is Hamas, which sparked a two-year conflict in Gaza and agreed to a truce and full release of hostages, but not to surrender weapons, as required by Trump's internationally approved 20-point peace plan. The group said it might be ready to integrate into the army of a future Palestinian state.
In Lebanon, Israel is striking Hezbollah and accusing the Beirut government of failing to keep its promise to prevent the militia from rearming and regrouping on the border.
The publication notes that Netanyahu's goal in talks with Trump will be to "strengthen, preserve and protect the achievements of the war and thereby ensure that the offensive capabilities we deprived our enemies of are not restored," said Netanyahu's spokesman Guy Levy.
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Trump has provided significant support to Israel, even amid criticism in other countries over the Gaza massacre. When Netanyahu took the war to Iran – a sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah – in June, American strategic bombers joined the Israeli Air Force in attacking its nuclear facilities.
However, the US president is showing impatience regarding questions about when and how his plan for Gaza can move to the reconstruction and reconciliation phases, known as Phase 2.
Meanwhile, Israelis are preparing for a new war. A poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute think tank showed that 71% of the population believe that next year there will be an escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah. 69% believe it will happen with Iran, and 53% with Hamas.
Trump is expected to soon appoint other world leaders to a "Peace Council" to oversee the interim administration of post-war Gaza.
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Since the US-backed ceasefire agreement came into effect in October, sporadic Israeli strikes and operations in Gaza have continued, although large-scale fighting has largely ceased. Israel said its sporadic strikes were caused by Hamas violations of the truce. The Palestinian group accused Israel of undermining the ceasefire agreement and restricting aid to the enclave.