Trump says Netanyahu knows he wants Gaza war to end; won’t commit to 2-state solution

US President-elect Donald Trump, again named Time’s “Person of the Year,” told the magazine on Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows he wants the Gaza war to end, hinted a war with Iran could be in the cards and refrained from endorsing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even though his “deal of the century” proposed a version of Palestinian statehood in 2020.

“The Middle East is going to get solved. I think it’s more complicated than the Russia-Ukraine, but I think it’s easier to solve,” Trump said, according to a transcript of the interview.

Asked about the chances of war with Iran, Trump paused before replying, “Anything can happen,” in a shift from his messaging during the campaign, when he pledged that he wouldn’t start any new wars.

The wide-ranging interview appears in the upcoming issue of Time, which named Trump as “Person of the Year” for the second time, the first being after he first won the White House in 2016. Netanyahu was also shortlisted for the accolade.

Time said Trump was chosen “For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world.”

The magazine’s title cover features Trump sporting his distinctive red tie and striking a commanding pose.

Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to applause from traders on Thursday, flanked by his wife Melania Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, with his Time Magazine cover displayed prominently behind him.

Calls for end to Gaza war, appears to repeat claim most hostages dead

Speaking about the war in Gaza, Trump said Netanyahu “knows I want it to end.”

According to Time, Trump informed Netanyahu of his stance during phone calls the two held during the US election campaign.

Asked if Netanyahu has given him assurances about ending the Gaza war, Trump declined to respond directly, saying, “I don’t want people from either side killed… whether it’s the Palestinians and the Israelis and all of the different entities that we have in the Middle East.”

When Time asked if he trusted Netanyahu going into the second term, Trump took a second before answering: “I don’t trust anybody.”

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 hostages in Gaza weren’t released by his January 20 inauguration. The president-elect didn’t mention Hamas or Israel in that statement, though.

Speaking to Time, Trump also appeared to reiterate his assessment that most of the hostages were no longer alive.

“The other thing that’s happening are the hostages. Where are the hostages? Why aren’t they back? Well, they could be gone… I think Hamas is probably saying, Wow, the hostages are gone. That’s what they want,” Trump said.

President Isaac Herzog reportedly tried to sway Trump away from that belief last month, sharing with him Israeli intelligence assessments that roughly half of the 100 remaining hostages are alive.

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 revive. His coalition also leans on far-right partners who have threatened to topple the government should the premier agree to such a deal.

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.

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 Hamas again fears that Israel will subsequently resume fighting after Trump enters office.

President-elect won’t commit to two-state solution — even his own

Asked if he still supports his 2020 “deal of the century,” Trump responded: “I support a plan of peace, and it can take different forms.”

“I support whatever solution we can do to get peace. There are other ideas other than two-state, but I support whatever is necessary to get not just peace, [but] a lasting peace. It can’t go on where every five years you end up in tragedy. There are other alternatives,” he said.

This is the latest of several shifts Trump has taken on the issue over the past decade. At the beginning of his first term, Trump declared, “I’m looking at two states and one state, and I like the one that both parties like.”

Several days later, Trump appeared to backtrack, saying, “I like the two-state solution,” while again insisting that he’d “ultimately like what both parties like.”

The next year, Trump said, “I like the two-state solution… That’s what I think works best,” but the next day, he declared: “If the Israelis and Palestinians want one state, that’s okay with me… If they want two states, that’s okay with me.”

Two years later — in 2020 — Trump unveiled a peace plan that he framed as a “realistic” two-state solution. The “deal of the century,” formally entitled “Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People,” offered the Palestinians a state on roughly 70% of the West Bank that wouldn’t include Israel’s settlements, as well as a chunk of the Negev desert and a hefty economic aid package.

The Palestinian Authority rejected the offer outright. After his first term, Trump also accused Netanyahu of being non-committal to Israeli-Palestinian rapprochement.

As Trump’s second term approaches, some of his prospective officials have voiced support for a two-state solution.

Massad Boulos, Trump’s newly appointed senior adviser on Mideast and Arab affairs — and father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany — told Le Monde last week that “a road map that would lead to a Palestinian state” would be an important part of US-Saudi talks about a normalization agreement between Riyadh and Jerusalem during the next administration.

Boulos highlighted the “deal of the century” as a frame of reference, indicating that Trump still endorses the plan.

Trump’s former Iran envoy Brian Hook, in an interview with CNN last month, also said the 2020 deal would likely be back on the table in a second Trump presidency. Hook noted that Israel’s appetite for a two-state solution has diminished after October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people, sparking the war in Gaza.

Doesn’t rule out Israeli annexation of West Bank

In the Time interview, Trump also would not come out against a possible Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

Israel captured the territory from Jordan in the 1967 war and maintains security control there. As part of the 2020 Abraham Accords that Trump brokered between Israel and four Arab nations, Israel backed down from its bid to annex part of the territory.

Asked whether he still stands behind his “deal of the century,” or if he would let Israel proceed with the annexation, Trump responded: “What I want is a deal where there’s going to be peace and where the killing stops.”

Asked again if he would prevent Netanyahu from annexing the West Bank, Trump avoided responding directly. Instead, he acknowledged having stopped Netanyahu from taking the step, and then changed the subject to Hamas’s October 7 attack.

When his interviewers pushed him on the question, Trump responded: “I want a long-lasting peace. I’m not saying that’s a very likely scenario, but I want a long-lasting peace, a peace where we don’t have an October 7 in another three years.”

“There are numerous ways you can do it. You can do it two-state, but there are numerous ways it can be done,” Trump reiterated. “I’d like to see everybody be happy. Everybody go about their lives, and people stop from dying. That includes on many different fronts.”

At least two former Trump officials have warned senior Israeli ministers not to assume that the president-elect will support Israel annexing the West Bank in his second term. The warning came after far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich hailed Trump’s reelection as an opportunity for Israel to declare sovereignty in the territory.

Times of Israel staff and AFP contributed to this report.