Initial Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Plan Almost Complete, States Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the primary part of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities agreement is nearing completion, adding that the second stage must require the demilitarization of Hamas.
Forthcoming Talks in Washington
The Israeli prime minister said he would talk about the following stages in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were outlined in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.
“We’re about to finish the initial phase,” Netanyahu remarked. “But we have to ensure that we secure the same outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I am eager to reviewing with President Trump.”
European Leader Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was talking at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three must also be taken into account.”
Merz is the initial leader of a leading European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not at this time being considered. Netanyahu rejects the warrants as “trumped-up charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.
Details of the Ongoing Truce
Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a ceasefire line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October, Israeli forces have been responsible for the deaths of over 360 Palestinians, including an approximate 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.
Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing
Not one of Trump’s proposals, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, specified a timetable extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to pull back further, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a technocratic Palestinian council to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.
The order of these measures is unclear in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu focused on Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s crucial to make sure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.
Potential Alternatives and Political Stances
Netanyahu mentioned 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 strongly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.
International Criminal Court Charges and Legal Proceedings
Netanyahu stated the reason he would not be able make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped aside from his role in May pending the conclusion of an inquiry.
Netanyahu said Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded allegations of deprivation and acts of genocide” from a “corrupt official”.
Another court, the international court of justice, is considering charges that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry determined that Israel had committed genocide.
Questioned about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to discuss this at the moment.”
