From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Trump says Netanyahu knows he wants Gaza war to end
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President-elect Donald Trump says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows that he wants the war in Gaza to end.
“He knows I want it to end,” Trump tells Time magazine.
Time says Trump informed Netanyahu of his stance during phone calls the two held throughout the presidential election campaign.
The Times of Israel revealed in October that Trump told Netanyahu during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort that he wants the war wrapped up by the time he enters office.
In the past, Israel has bristled at such public calls from world leaders, arguing that they unfairly direct the pressure at Israel instead of Hamas. Trump did publish a post on social media earlier this month in which he warned of “all hell to pay” if Mideast hostages weren’t released by January 20. The president didn’t mention Hamas or Israel in the statement, though.
Netanyahu has thus far balked at ending the Gaza war in exchange for the release of the hostages, arguing that this would allow Hamas to reconstitute. He’s also beholden to far-right coalition partners who have threatened to collapse his government if he were to agree to such an exchange.
Israel’s security establishment has been more open to the trade-off, arguing that Israel can return its troops to Gaza if need be after withdrawing and warning that there won’t be many hostages alive if Israel waits much longer to strike a deal, Israeli officials said.
In recent days, Israeli officials have been sounding increasingly optimistic about the chances of a deal.
An Arab diplomat familiar with the talks told The Times of Israel that both sides have indicated a willingness to compromise regarding the terms of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, but no agreement has been reached regarding the longstanding obstacle in the talks — whether the ceasefire will be permanent or temporary.
The mediators are still pushing a three-phase deal, similar to the one submitted by Israel and publicly backed by US President Joe Biden in May, the Arab diplomat said.
Israel is more focused on the first 40- to 60-day phase of the deal, with the Arab official saying that Hamas again fears that Israel will subsequently resume fighting after Trump enters office.
Asked by Time if he trusts Netanyahu going into the second term, Trump takes a second before answering, “I don’t trust anybody.”
As for the chances of war with Iran, Trump pauses before replying, “Anything can happen.”
The response appeared to differ from his messaging during the campaign where he repeatedly pledged that he wouldn’t start any new wars.
