🔗 Share this article

Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the first stage of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities proposal is close to conclusion, stating that the second phase must involve the demilitarization of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli premier revealed he would examine the future steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.

“We’re about to conclude the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to guarantee that we attain the identical outcomes in the second phase, and that’s something I look forward to addressing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Meets with Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “Stage two must start immediately and then the third phase must also be considered.”

Merz is the first head of state of a significant European state to confer with Netanyahu in Israel since the International Criminal Court (ICC) released arrest warrants 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 indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a trip was not at this time planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecuting office”.

Terms of the Current Ceasefire

During the initial stage of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in return for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 bodies of hostages who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have pulled back to a truce line, leaving them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire was announced 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 identical period.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Timeline

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, detailed a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is required to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be created under the control of a “board of peace” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these measures is not clear 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 make sure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.

Potential Options and Diplomatic Stances

Netanyahu mentioned the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not rule out Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab capitals as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.

International Criminal Court Warrants and Legal Cases

Netanyahu claimed the reason he would not be able to 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 denied any misconduct, but recused himself from his role in May pending the outcome of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “destroying the standing of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of starvation and acts of genocide” from a “compromised official”.

Another court, the international court of justice, is reviewing charges that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous commission of inquiry concluded that Israel had committed genocide.

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is no reason to discuss this at the present time.”