Israel on the Way of the Cross: Netanyahu meets Trump

Israel on the Way of the Cross: Netanyahu meets Trump

Jerusalem-while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing for his third visit to the White House this year, his host, US President Donald Trump, clearly formulated his expectations. Trump, who has often talked about his wish, to reach a ceasefire in Gaza said on Tuesday: "We look forward to making it happen next week."

focus on gaza

Although the two guides will celebrate the US and Israeli attacks in Iran , Gaza is at the top of her agenda. "We want to get the hostages back," said Trump.

netanyahus critical decisions

Netanyahu, who is supposed to meet the US President on Monday, faces a crucial choice at a cross between two very different conflicts: a precise and short-term conflict, the other brutal and lengthy. The long -time Israeli guide already had two high -ranking meetings on the subject of Gaza this week and is expected to prevent another on Thursday, according to an Israeli official.

unexplained actions in Gaza

The Israeli military has not yet decided how it should go on in the Gaza Strip, said a source familiar with the discussions. The decision is based on whether a ceasefire agreement is aimed at or a military bombing of the enclave, which has already cost more than 56,000 Palestinians, is intended to intensify life while Israel tries to increase the pressure on Hamas.

recommendations of the military

Initially, the Israeli military recommended a diplomatic path in the Gaza Strip after more than 20 months of fighting and the elimination of a lot of Hamas' leadership.

A military officer said CNN on Tuesday that Israel did not fully achieve his war goals. Since the forces have shrunk from Hamas and hid, it became more difficult to effectively grasp the remaining members of the militant group. "It is now more difficult to achieve tactical goals," said the official speaker.

Far-Right claims and priorities

The right -wing extremist members of Netanyahu's government are calling for an intensification of the Israeli campaign. "No Agreement. No partners. No mediators. Only a clear result: the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages from a position of strength," said finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, chairman of the religious -Zionist party, on Monday.

After almost two years of war, however, others made it clear that the release of the remaining 50 hostages in the Gaza Strip has top priority. "In my opinion everything has to be done to get the hostages free. And we are more than 600 days late. Everything has to be done to bring everyone back-those living and the fallen. Not from weakness-out of strength," said the Minister of Wohlfahrt, Ya’akov Margi, in an interview with Israel's religious Kol B’Ramah radio. When asked whether this includes an end to the war, Margi said: "I think we should enter into negotiations and everything should be on the table."

position of the IDF in the Gaza Strip

The Israeli defense forces (IDF) already control around 60 % of the besieged territory of Gaza and force more than two million Palestinians, many of which have been sold several times, into shrinking areas near the coast. However, negotiations have been stalled for weeks because a crucial gap could not be overcome. Hamas calls for a permanent end of the conflict as part of a possible ceasefire agreement, while Israel refused to agree to the end of the war.

strategic course

"The IDF has reached the limit of what can be achieved by violence," said Israel Ziv, a retired general major who once headed the military's operating department. "Netanyahu is on a crossroads and he has to make a choice," he added.

A possible way is to use the successes against Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas and to forcate a regional agreement that could include improving relationships with Syria and Lebanon, according to Ziv. Such an option would end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages, however, carries the risk of destabilizing Netanyah's government if the right -wing extremists leave the coalition.

"The second way is to continue the war - and even if it is not officially proclaimed, that would mean the conquest of Gazas," said Ziv.

New understanding of Netanyahu

These statements may be a significant change in Netanyahu's representation of the Israeli goals in Gaza. During the majority of the war, he prioritized the defeat of Hamas, he explains in May that this was the "top goal" and not the return of the hostages.

After the campaign against Iran, Netanyahu has signaled a newly gained flexibility in terms of negotiations, which could quickly prove itself in the White House if he meets an American president who is pushing on a deal.