Trump praises Netanyahu as leaders meet to discuss next steps of ceasefire plan

ruff and Netanyahu discuss stage 2 of Gaza public security design

U.S. President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Monday for talks on breaking a deadlock over the Gaza ceasefire and addressing Israeli concerns about Iran and Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Speaking to reporters as the two leaders entered Trump's Mar-a-Lago beach club, Trump struck a decidedly supportive tone with Netanyahu, even as some aides and allies have suggested the Israeli leader was slow-walking elements of the ceasefire accord signed in October.

Trump said he wanted to move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas as soon as possible, but that "there has to be a disarming of Hamas."

He added that he would be open to supporting another rapid Israeli attack on Iran if that country keeps developing its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

"I feel that if you had the wrong prime minister, Israel would not exist," Trump told reporters, in remarks full of praise for the Israeli leader.

Trump also said Israeli President Isaac Herzog had told him he planned to pardon Netanyahu of corruption-related charges.

"He's a wartime prime minister who's a hero. How do you not give a pardon?" Trump told reporters while standing beside Netanyahu. "I spoke to the president ... He tells me it's on its way."

But Herzog's office was quick to challenge that statement, saying that the Israeli president had had no conversations with Trump since the request for pardon was submitted several weeks ago.

While Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire deal in October, alleged violations have been frequent, and little apparent progress has been made on longer-term goals.

Netanyahu said this month that Trump had invited him for talks, as Washington pushes to establish transitional governance and an international security force for the Palestinian enclave against Israeli reluctance to move forward.

While Washington has brokered three ceasefires involving its longtime ally — between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, and Israel and Lebanon — Netanyahu is wary of Israel's foes rebuilding their forces.

Israel and Hamas agreed in October to Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, which ultimately sees Israel withdrawing from the territory and Hamas giving up its weapons and forgoing a governing role.

The first phase of the ceasefire included a partial Israeli withdrawal, an increase of aid and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

An Israeli official in Netanyahu's circle said that the prime minister would demand that the first phase of the ceasefire be completed by Hamas returning the remains of the last Israeli hostage left in Gaza, before moving ahead to the next stages.

The family of the deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, has joined the prime minister's visiting entourage and is expected to meet officials from Trump's administration.

Israel has yet to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, also a condition of Trump's plan, saying it will only do so once Gvili's remains are returned.

"Enough blood, enough destruction, enough war," he said. "What more does he want? There is nothing left for Netanyahu to do. It’s over."

"They say Netanyahu is delaying because of a soldier who was a hostage, and others say Hamas is the one delaying," Matar said. "We’re hanging in the balance and I don’t know what’s happening."

Chuck Freilich, a political scientist at Tel Aviv University, said that with an election due in October, Netanyahu is in a tight spot.

"He doesn't want a clash with Trump in an election year," Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser, said. "[Trump] wants to go forward, and Bibi [Netanyahu] is going to have to make some compromises there."

Christmas in Gaza during a fragile ceasefire

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu's office said he met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Rubio said last week that Washington wants the transitional administration envisioned in Trump's plan — a Board of Peace and a body made up of Palestinian technocrats — to be in place soon to govern Gaza, ahead of the deployment of the international security force that was mandated by a Nov. 17 United Nations Security Council resolution.

But Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the deal and look no closer to accepting the much more difficult steps envisaged for the next phase. Hamas, which has refused to disarm, has been reasserting its control as Israeli troops remain entrenched in about half the territory.

Israel has indicated that if Hamas is not disarmed peacefully, it will resume military action to make it do so.

While the fighting has abated, it has not stopped entirely. Although the ceasefire officially began in October, Israeli strikes have killed more than 400 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to Gaza health officials, and Palestinian militants have killed three Israeli soldiers.

Netanyahu said last week that Israel was not seeking a confrontation with Iran, but was aware of the reports, and said he would raise Tehran's activities with Trump.

The Israeli official said Netanyahu was expected to present intelligence on Iranian efforts to build up its arms.

The official did not elaborate on any Israeli demands or actions regarding Iran.

Trump in June ordered U.S. Strikes on Iranian nuclear sites but has since then broached a potential deal with Tehran.

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