Initial Stage of Gaza Ceasefire Plan Nearly Complete, States Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the initial part of the UN-endorsed Gaza truce proposal is nearing completion, stating that the subsequent phase must entail the demilitarization of Hamas.
Forthcoming Discussions in Washington
The Israeli prime minister stated he would talk about the future steps later this month in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza plans were formalized in a UN Security Council resolution on 17 November.
“We’re about to complete the initial phase,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we achieve the equivalent objectives in the next stage, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”
German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu
The prime minister was talking at a joint news conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “The second phase must come now and then phase three must also be examined.”
Merz is the first head of state of a significant European state to hold talks 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had stated he would invite Netanyahu to Germany regardless of the ICC warrants, but noted on Sunday a trip was not at this time planned. Netanyahu disregards the warrants as “trumped-up allegations” from a “biased prosecutor”.
Terms of the Ongoing Truce
Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed the final 20 surviving Israeli hostages in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. At the same time, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a demarcation line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.
Following the ceasefire was put into effect on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in Hamas military actions over the identical timeframe.
Next Steps and Unclear Timeline
Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely supported them, specified a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected 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 chaired by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run daily governance of Gaza.
The sequencing of these steps is vague in Trump’s plan or in resolution 2803. In his remarks on Sunday, Netanyahu put his emphasis on Hamas disarmament.
“I think it’s crucial to ensure that Hamas abides not only with the ceasefire, but also with their commitment which they undertook to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he said.
Potential Options and Diplomatic Stances
Netanyahu raised the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without explaining what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, labeling it as a subject of “negotiation”, and emphasized that Israel was strongly opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state, the aim of the peace process desired by most European and Arab governments as well as the overwhelming majority of UN member states.
International Criminal Court Warrants and Judicial Proceedings
Netanyahu claimed the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he described as manufactured 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 awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.
Netanyahu said Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “trumped-up allegations of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.
Another court, the international court of justice, is weighing up allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN autonomous investigative commission found that Israel had committed genocide.
Asked about the prospect of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to discuss this at the moment.”
