Sawt Falasteen - Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for crucial Gaza talks

The crucial meeting at Trump's lavish Mar-a-Lago resort comes as some White House officials fear both Israel and Hamas are slow-walking the second phase of their ceasefire.

Trump, who said Netanyahu had asked for the talks, is reportedly keen to announce -- as soon as January -- a Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The two leaders are to meet at 1 pm (1800 GMT), the White House said.

Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Netanyahu would discuss the second phase, which involves making sure that "Hamas is disarmed, Gaza is demilitarized."

But Netanyahu will also try to shift the focus onto Iran during his fifth meeting in the United States with Trump this year, amid reports he will push for more US strikes on Tehran's nuclear program.

Netanyahu would also bring up the "danger Iran poses not only to the region of the Middle East, but the United States as well," Bedrosian said before flying out with the Israeli premier.

Netanyahu's visit caps a frantic few days of international diplomacy in Palm Beach, where Trump hosted Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday for talks on ending Russia's invasion.

The Gaza ceasefire in October is one of the major achievements of Trump's first year back in power, but his administration and regional mediators want to keep up the momentum.

Trump's global envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner hosted senior officials from mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Miami earlier this month.

The timing of the Netanyahu meeting is "very significant," said Gershon Baskin, the co-head of peacebuilding commission the Alliance for Two States, who has taken part in back-channel negotiations with Hamas.

"Phase two has to begin," he told AFP, adding that "I think the Americans realize that it's late because Hamas has had too much time to re-establish its presence."

- 'Going nowhere' -

The first phase of the truce deal saw Hamas release the remaining hostages, both dead and alive, from the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Hamas has returned all but the body of one hostage. Both sides allege frequent ceasefire violations.

Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, while Hamas is supposed to lay down its weapons -- a major sticking point for the Islamist movement.

An interim authority is meanwhile meant to govern the Palestinian territory, and the international stabilization force (ISF) is to be deployed.

The Axios news outlet reported on Friday that Trump wanted to convene the first meeting of a new Gaza "Board of Peace" that he will chair at the Davos forum in Switzerland in January.

But it said that senior White House officials were growing exasperated with what they viewed as efforts by Netanyahu to stall the peace process.

"There are more and more signs that the American administration is getting frustrated with Netanyahu," said Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House.

"The question is what it's going to do about it," he added, "because phase two is right now going nowhere."

For his part, Netanyahu is set to focus with Trump on Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and Israel struck in June but which Israel fears Tehran is rebuilding.

Israel is also continuing to strike Hamas targets in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon despite a ceasefire there. Syria will also be on the agenda.

Mekelberg said Netanyahu could be attempting to shift attention from Gaza onto Iran as Israel enters an election year.

"Everything is connected to staying in power," he said of the long-time Israeli premier.

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST