🔗 Share this article

Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial part of the United Nations-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal is approaching conclusion, and added that the subsequent stage must entail the disarmament of Hamas.

Forthcoming Discussions in Washington

The Israeli premier revealed he would examine the subsequent actions in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were codified in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We’re about to complete the initial phase,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we secure the equivalent outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to addressing with President Trump.”

European Leader Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was talking at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three must also be examined.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a major European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released warrants for arrest 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 stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a visit was not currently under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

During the first phase of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 remains of hostages killed during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have pulled back to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Next Steps and Ambiguous Timeline

Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a timetable extending the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to retreat more, and an international stabilization force is to be established under the authority of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The order of these measures is unclear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s important to ensure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he stated.

Potential Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu brought up the possibility of “other options” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, labeling it as a topic of “negotiation”, and stressed that Israel was firmly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming 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 described as fabricated by the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

Another court, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry determined that Israel had carried out genocide.

Questioned about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the moment.”