WASHINGTON (Realist English). The decision to add a press conference to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House has fueled speculation that Washington is preparing to announce a finalized agreement to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
According to US officials, the administration has won initial backing from Arab and Muslim partners for the plan, which includes provisions for Gaza’s postwar governance. However, Israeli officials were still deliberating the proposal on Sunday, while Hamas said it had not been formally presented with the terms.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Netanyahu for nearly two hours at his Washington hotel on Sunday, pressing the Israeli leader to endorse the plan despite his resistance to clauses on Hamas’s disarmament and the Palestinian Authority’s role in Gaza, a source told The Times of Israel. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, also joined the discussions.
Hebrew media reported that Netanyahu may publicly support the framework during Monday’s White House meeting. Trump himself suggested on Friday that a deal was “essentially reached,” though Hamas’s approval remains absent.
One of the plan’s 21 points reportedly allows implementation to proceed even without Hamas’s consent, including the creation of a transitional Palestinian technocratic government and the deployment of an international stabilization force in areas no longer under Hamas control. Yet Israel is unlikely to halt its military operations without the release of 48 remaining hostages.
Netanyahu’s efforts to amend the plan could also strain support from Arab and Muslim nations, many of which have insisted on a role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and a pathway toward statehood — positions Netanyahu opposes. Leaders from eight Arab and Muslim countries raised these concerns with Trump during meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.
With Netanyahu potentially the last regional leader to meet Trump before an announcement, his stance could be decisive for whether Washington proceeds with unveiling its proposal to end the Gaza war.
