ALBAWABA- U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House, for high-stakes talks on regional security, though differences over the West Bank remain unresolved.
“I discussed the West Bank issue with Netanyahu, but we did not agree 100 percent,” Trump told reporters during a joint press conference following the meeting.
The discussions, part of Netanyahu’s five-day U.S. visit that began in Florida on December 29, also addressed the Gaza ceasefire, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. Earlier, Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Mar-a-Lago.
Netanyahu praised Trump as an “exceptional” ally, announcing that the U.S. president had received Israel’s highest award for his support of the Jewish state.
In Gaza, Netanyahu expressed conditional openness to the Palestinian Authority’s participation in post-war reconstruction, depending on institutional reforms. Trump outlined clear conditions for such involvement, signaling a shift from prior rejections of Palestinian engagement.
Regarding Syria, Netanyahu stressed the importance of “peace borders” to protect minorities such as the Druze and prevent terrorist activity. Trump responded optimistically: “This will succeed between Israel and Syria.” Despite stalled negotiations, Israel continues daily operations in southern Syria and the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967.
After their White House meeting, President Donald Trump announced in a press briefing that he had lobbied the Israeli president to grant Benjamin Netanyahu a full pardon, adding that “a pardon is on its way.”
Notably, Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) under arrest warrants for alleged war crimes, has traveled by plane over at least three ICC member countries without being detained. The episode highlights the limitations of international law, raising concerns that it often functions less as a tool for justice than as an instrument of geopolitical power.
The meeting further reflects evolving U.S.-Israel relations under Trump’s second term and his 20-point Gaza peace plan, launched September 29, 2025. While the plan’s first phase began on October 10, phase two, initially planned for early January 2026, is delayed over the return of Israeli soldier Ran Gili’s body held in Gaza.
