Three war fronts on the agenda as Benjamin Netanyahu set for talks with Donald Trump | World News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida.
Three of Israel’s war fronts are on the agenda: Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.
The White House is expected to want to iron out the next phase of Trump‘s peace plan in Gaza, which involves a Palestinian technocratic government and the demilitarisation of the territory through an international stabilisation force composed of foreign troops.
Israel has said three countries, including Indonesia, are ready to deploy in Gaza, but Netanyahu is still expected to stall on demilitarisation and reject any plans to disarm Hamas that does not include the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
In the lead-up to the meeting, his defence minister Israel Katz said about Gaza’s future: “We are deep inside Gaza and we will never leave Gaza, there will be no such thing. We’re there to defend, to prevent what happened in the past.”
Israeli strikes have continued through the ceasefire period.
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in October. Pic: Reuters
The Gaza health ministry said more than 400 people have been killed and at least 1,000 others injured since the ceasefire started on 10 October.
In the meeting, Netanyahu is also expected to push for more strikes on Iran and argue that its nuclear programme still needs to be addressed.
This could be in opposition to Trump’s foreign policy priorities, especially after his strong stance on ending Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.
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Lebanon is also on the table for discussion.
Israel has not upheld its end of the ceasefire agreement and has continued to bomb southern Lebanon and even strike the capital, Beirut.
Israel’s Channel 13 has reported that Netanyahu will present Trump with intelligence to expand growing operations against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The future of the Middle East currently hinges on how Trump reacts to Netanyahu’s desire to continue Israel’s war effort in the region.
