President Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the United States on December 29, an Israeli government spokesman announced on Monday.
The visit will mark the fifth time this year that Trump will host the Israeli leader, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in war crimes in Gaza, in the US. The previous four visits took place at the White House, and Israeli media reports suggest the fifth meeting could happen at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
An Israeli government spokesman said that the meeting will focus on the future of Gaza, where Israeli forces have continued attacks on Palestinians in the Strip despite the Trump-backed ceasefire deal.
“The Prime Minister will meet with President Trump on Monday, December 29. They will discuss the future steps and phases and the international stabilization force of the ceasefire plan,” Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters.
The news of the meeting comes amid uncertainty over the Trump-backed plan as countries initially willing to volunteer troops for the international force in Gaza are now hesitant due to the lack of clarity over the mission and fears that their soldiers could end up fighting Hamas on behalf of Israel.
Hamas has also stuck to its position that it will only disarm as part of a process that leads to a Palestinian state, an idea Netanyahu and his government strongly reject. A Hamas official has said that the group could consider “freezing or storing” its weapons, suggesting it’s open to a temporary disarmament.
