Initial Stage of Gaza Truce Plan Nearly Complete, Says Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the first phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza ceasefire framework is approaching finalization, stating that the next stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.
Forthcoming Discussions in Washington
The Israeli leader revealed he would examine the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.
“We are nearing complete the first phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the same results in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”
European Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu
The prime minister was talking at a shared news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “The second phase must begin now and then phase three must also be considered.”
Merz is the initial leader of a significant European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegations in Gaza.
After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not currently being considered. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless allegations” from a “corrupt prosecuting office”.
Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire
During the initial stage of the present ceasefire deal, Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed over 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the same period.
Future Stages and Unclear Timeline
Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.
The timeline of these steps is ambiguous in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s important to make sure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he asserted.
Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances
Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “discussion”, and stressed that Israel was firmly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.
International Criminal Court Charges and Judicial Cases
Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.
Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “false allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.
A separate tribunal, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent commission of inquiry found that Israel had committed genocide.
Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the present time.”