Netanyahu and Trump meet at Mar-a-Lago to repair strained ties
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling to Mar-a-Lago on Monday for what aides are describing as an “emergency summit” meeting with President Donald Trump. It comes as tensions between the two leaders deepen over Gaza, Iran and the future of U.S.-brokered peace efforts in the region.
Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told The Washington Post the talks are meant to “purify the air” after repeated clashes over Israeli military strikes and Trump’s push for ceasefire agreements.
“They have different timelines to get to the same destination, which is a Middle East that is liberated from the Iranian regime and its terror proxies, particularly Hamas,” Diker said.
Gaza and Iran test the relationship
For Trump, the meeting comes as he tries to revive momentum behind his 20-point Gaza peace plan, a central pillar of his second-term foreign policy. He has previously claimed that a U.S. stealth bomber campaign in June crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities — a claim that remains disputed.
For Netanyahu, the timing is fraught. His criminal trial on bribery and fraud charges is moving forward, public support has slipped, and polls suggest he could lose the 2026 election. His governing coalition is also under strain after more than two years of war, according to The New York Times.
Both leaders have tied their political futures to Gaza, where Trump’s proposed second phase has stalled. Israel has continued strikes while insisting Hamas must be fully disarmed before any deeper pullback, The Times reports.
Competing demands on Gaza, Iran and Lebanon
Israeli officials are expected to press Trump to tighten U.S. conditions on future Israeli withdrawals from Gaza by demanding Hamas disarm before Israel moves to the next stage of the peace plan. Netanyahu is also seeking U.S. backing for additional strikes targeting Iran’s ballistic missile program.
At the same time, The Post notes, Washington is sending mixed signals. While the Trump administration is demanding an end to uranium enrichment, Deputy Envoy Morgan Ortagus recently told the U.N. that the U.S. remains open to formal diplomatic dialogue with Tehran.
In Lebanon, U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that Israel’s near-daily strikes on Hezbollah positions are undermining a U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire and risking wider regional instability.
Gaza plan stalls, friction grows
Gaza remains the sharpest point of tension. While Trump publicly hailed his ceasefire and hostage agreement with Hamas as a “new dawn,” The Post reports that key elements of Phase Two — including a new governing committee and an international stabilization force — are still not in place.
Israel has resisted moving forward without Hamas disarming. It has also pushed back on proposals that would include Turkish troops as part of a stabilization force, citing Ankara’s rivalry with Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz recently said Israel would establish Jewish settlements in Gaza — drawing a rebuke from U.S. officials — and later declared Israel would never fully withdraw from the Strip, according to The Times of Israel.
Trump also raised concern following a Dec. 13 Israeli operation that killed Hamas commander Raed Saad, saying he was reviewing whether the strike violated truce terms.
High-stakes decisions ahead
2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year for both leaders.
Netanyahu faces pressure to pass a new draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox men to keep his coalition intact, while also confronting demands from his base to annex parts of the West Bank, a move Trump has warned would trigger serious backlash from Washington.
On Gaza, the White House is pressing Netanyahu to cooperate more fully with Trump’s plan. This includes a potential role for the Palestinian Authority and steps that could reopen the path to normalization with Saudi Arabia, The Times reported.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
