First Stage of Gaza Strip Truce Plan Nearly Complete, Says Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that the initial part of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities plan is nearing completion, and added that the subsequent phase must require the demilitarization of Hamas.
Forthcoming Discussions in Washington
The Israeli prime minister revealed he would examine the future steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.
“We are close to finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent outcomes in the next phase, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”
European Leader Meets with Netanyahu
The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who stated: “Phase two must come now and then phase three must also be examined.”
Merz is the initial head of state of a significant European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his ex- defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
After winning federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not presently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.
Terms of the Ongoing Ceasefire
Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.
Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline
Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a timetable transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are supposed to pull back further, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be set up under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.
The order of these actions is unclear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his comments on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s vital to make sure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.
Possible Options and Diplomatic Stances
Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.
ICC Warrants and Legal Cases
Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an investigation.
Netanyahu remarked Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “false charges of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt official”.
Another court, the international court of justice, is weighing up charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had carried out genocide.
Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the moment.”
