Trump and Netanyahu to hold talks as U.S. President warns ’no guarantees’ fragile peace in Gaza will hold
The Hindu
Trump and Netanyahu to meet amid pressure to end Gaza truce and bring remaining hostages home.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet Tuesday (February 4, 2025) as the Israeli Prime Minister faces competing pressure from his right-wing coalition to end a temporary truce against Hamas militants in Gaza and from war-weary Israelis who want the remaining hostages home and the 15-month conflict to end.
Trump is guarded about the long-term prospects for the truce, even as he takes credit for pressuring Hamas and Israel into the hostage and ceasefire agreement that went into effect the day before he returned to office last month.
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“I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold," Trump told reporters Monday.
The leaders' talks are expected to touch on a long-sought Israel-Saudi Arabia normalization deal and concerns about Iran's nuclear program, but hammering out the second phase of the hostage deal will be at the top of the agenda.
Mr. Netanyahu's arrival in Washington for the first foreign leader visit of Trump's second term comes as the prime minister's popular support is lagging. Netanyahu is in the middle of weekslong testimony in an ongoing corruption trial that centers on allegations he exchanged favors with media moguls and wealthy associates. He has decried the accusations and said he is the victim of a “witch hunt.”
Being seen with Trump, who is popular in Israel, could help distract the public from the trial and boost Mr. Netanyahu’s standing.
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