President Trump drops hints about ‘very big meetings’ and ‘progress’ in Middle East talks involving Israel, ahead of his planned meeting with Israel’s prime minister.
By World Israel News Staff
President Donald Trump hinted at major developments in Middle East talks in the near future, ahead of his planned meeting with Israel’s prime minister.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington D.C. Sunday, a day before the Israeli delegation was scheduled to kickoff talks with U.S. officials on the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, and two days before Netanyahu’s meeting with President Trump in the White House.
Tuesday’s meeting will be the first between the two leaders since Trump returned to office on January 20th.
On Sunday night, Trump addressed reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, saying that talks between Israel and other countries were “progressing,” without providing details.
The president also alluded to “very big meetings,” in the near future.
“The discussions on the Middle East with Israel and various other countries are progressing. Bibi Netanyahu’s coming on Tuesday, and I think we have some very big meetings scheduled,” Trump said.
Netanyahu is expected to push for American backing to tweak the implementation of the second phase of the hostage deal with Hamas, softening terms which have been rejected by members of the Israeli government.
The meeting between the president and the Israeli premier also comes against the backdrop of continuing efforts by Trump to secure third-party countries willing to receive large-scale emigration from the Gaza Strip.
According to a report by Israel Hayom on Sunday, the Trump administration’s plan for the removal of Hamas from the Gaza Strip and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the coastal enclave hinges on the mass-evacuation of most of the area’s population.
In talks with reporters recently, Trump suggested 1.5 million Gazans could be relocated, amounting to two-thirds of the Strip’s population.
Reports have floated various possible third-party countries whom the Trump administration is said to have reached out to, including Indonesia and Albania, while Trump has discussed the possibility of Egypt and Jordan taking in large numbers of Gazans.
Publicly, all four of the countries have rejected the plan.
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