First Phase of Gaza Strip Truce Framework Almost Finished, States Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that the initial phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities agreement is close to finalization, adding that the next phase must entail the disarmament of Hamas.
Forthcoming Discussions in Washington
The Israeli leader stated he would address the next steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were outlined in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.
“We are nearing conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to ensure that we secure the same results in the second stage, and that’s something I anticipate reviewing with President Trump.”
European Leader Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Phase two must come now and then phase three must also be taken into account.”
Merz is the first leader of a major European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court delivered arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
After winning federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “corrupt prosecutor”.
Terms of the Ongoing Truce
During the initial stage of the current ceasefire agreement, Hamas released the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce 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 estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical period.
Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing
Not one of Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly supported them, detailed a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a permanent peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are scheduled to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian council to run daily governance of Gaza.
The timeline of these steps is not clear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas adheres not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he stated.
Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Stances
Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not exclude Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “discussion”, and stressed that Israel was strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.
International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Cases
Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able to make a return visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as fabricated by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.
Netanyahu remarked Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.
A separate court, the international court of justice, is reviewing allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide.
Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to consider this at the current juncture.”