US President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at a breakthrough in the Middle East crisis, saying “all are on board for something special,” on the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House.
“We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!”
Earlier Friday, Trump had told reporters in Washington “I think we have a deal” on Gaza. “I think it’s a deal that will get the hostages back, I think it’s a deal that will end the war.”
Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday comes days after the US president unveiled a 21-point plan aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory during discussions with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
And it is happening as international isolation of Israel deepens with countries including Britain, France, Canada and Australia officially recognizing Palestinian statehood, breaking with longstanding US-led diplomatic protocols.
Trump’s plan, a diplomatic source told AFP, envisions a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a major influx of humanitarian aid.
“I hope we can, we can make it a go, because we want to free our hostages,” Netanyahu said on Fox News on Sunday.
“We want to get rid of Hamas rule and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarized, and a new future set up for Gazans and Israelis alike, and for the whole region.”
Arab and Muslim leaders welcomed the proposal but have also called for an immediate halt to Israel’s military operations and any occupation of Gaza.
Among the most controversial elements of the plan is the involvement of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in the future governance of Gaza.
“I think that the credibility or the likelihood of… a reformed Palestinian Authority that changes completely its stripes, you know, that accepts a Jewish state that teaches its children to embrace the coexistence and and friendship with the Jewish state, rather than living their lives in order to annihilate it… well, good luck,” Netanyahu said.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Addressing the United Nations on Friday, Netanyahu vowed to block a Palestinian state while also committing to “finish the job” against Hamas.
Hamas carried out the worst-ever attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally from Israeli official figures, in the deadliest day in the country’s history.
The Palestinian militants also took 251 hostages, of which 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 66,005 people, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.
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© Agence France-Presse
