Netanyahu ignores ceasefire negotiations for Trump meeting

Netanyahu ignores ceasefire negotiations for Trump meeting

A deadline to begin negotiations to extend the Gaza fire passed on Monday while the Israeli prime minister is in Washington. The silence from his office about the possible appointment of a negotiating team with Hamas brings with it considerable uncertainty about the next steps of the fragile ceasefire.

The current status of the ceasefire

The ceasefire, which has been in effect for just over two weeks, expires on March 1. Under the terms of the agreement, talks on the next phase should begin no later than Monday. But the Israeli government has not yet unveiled a public negotiating team for the talks, let alone sent them to Qatar or Egypt, where Hamas is sending a delegation this week. Hamas did not comment on the proposed deadline on Monday.

Qatar's role in the negotiations

Qatar's prime minister, who is acting as a mediator in the talks, said on Sunday that there were "no clear details" about when or how negotiations would begin. “We hope to see progress in the coming days,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said during a news conference in Doha.

Israel's strategy under Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he sees the way forward not in Doha or Cairo, but in Washington. This week he will become the first foreign leader to have a formal meeting with US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu's office announced on the eve of his departure that he had agreed with Trump's Middle East envoy that "negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal will begin with their meeting in Washington," which will also discuss "Israel's positions."

Progress since the ceasefire came into force

Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Hamas and its allies have released 18 hostages held in Gaza. In return, the Israeli government released 583 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were convicted of serious crimes, some even serving life sentences, as well as a significant number of children without public charges or trials.

The challenges of the next phase of negotiations

The ceasefire has led to a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza's residential areas, an increase in aid deliveries to the enclave and, for the first time since May last year, the opening of the key Rafah border crossing to evacuate injured and sick Palestinians. Despite some violations, the ceasefire has largely held and represents the second respite in 15 months of war, following a brief ceasefire in November 2023.

However, the first phase of the ceasefire was only intended to last 42 days. Talks for the second phase must begin on Monday, the 16th day of the ceasefire, meaning Netanyahu is violating the terms of the deal by speaking to Trump first. In this second phase, CNN understands, the Israeli military would completely withdraw from Gaza, and all living hostages, both soldiers and civilians, would be released in exchange for additional Palestinian detainees.

Netanyahu's concerns and international reactions

Chief among Netanyahu's concerns this week will be what Trump wants. The American president was not in office during the first round of ceasefire talks, but his team played a large role in the negotiations that pushed Israel toward a deal.

“Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map,” Netanyahu said on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday. “But I believe that by working closely with President Trump, we can redraw them even further and better.”

Criticism of Netanyahu's actions

Gershon Baskin, a veteran Israeli negotiator and peace activist, said in a statement that Netanyahu's "refusal to begin negotiations on the day specified in the agreement is a clear violation of the agreement." He added: "Israel demands that Hamas comply with all the terms of the agreement while committing significant violations of its own. Once again, Netanyahu is abandoning the hostages and putting them in danger."

Trump has boasted about the current ceasefire and said he wants to end foreign wars. Nevertheless, he has also repeatedly expressed his desire for the two million people in Gaza to leave the area in order to “simply clean up the whole thing.” The forced displacement of civilians may constitute “a war crime and/or crime against humanity,” according to the United Nations.

Reactions from the cabinet

Trump's proposal was well received by the most extreme ministers in Netanyahu's ruling coalition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who strongly opposed the withdrawal of Israeli forces and settlers from Gaza in 2005, is calling for Jews to repopulate the enclave. “Encouraging migration (of Palestinians from Gaza) is the only solution that will bring peace and security for the residents of Israel and alleviate the suffering of the Arab residents of Gaza,” he said after Trump expressed his desire for Palestinians to leave the territory.

Already one minister, the right-wing extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir, has withdrawn his party from the Israeli government over the ceasefire, calling it a capitulation. Smotrich has said he will do the same if Israel does not restart the war in Gaza when the current, first phase of the ceasefire expires.

Kareem Khadder, Mike Schwartz and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.