Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu will take part in one of the most complex summits in which they have participated in their years of political career. Why this complexity? Because they will have to negotiate a peaceful solution, including the exchange of hostages with Hamas, the terrorist organization with which Israel is engaged in an unprecedented war in the Gaza Strip.
A complicated scenario for negotiations
The complexity of this situation lies in the aftermath of this war in the Palestinian enclave, which, to this day, is suffering from bombings and a health crisis never seen before in the region. This scenario complicates Donald Trump’s and Benjamin Netanyahu’s idea of reaching a quick and peaceful agreement for the return of Israeli and American prisoners held captive in Gaza.
The blockade imposed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the constant bombardment of different parts of the enclave have left more than 53,000 fatalities since the beginning of the war. This is an alarming figure, which has led international human rights organizations to question this conflict and the actions of the Jewish State, which they accuse of committing “genocide” against the Palestinian population.
Currently, the IDF is carrying out the “Gideon’s Chariots” operation, authorized by Benjamin Netanyahu, which consists of taking control of most of the Palestinian enclave and eradicating all the terrorist organization’s infrastructure. This involves an increased number of ground incursions and air strikes on different parts of the region, thus increasing the number of deaths and displaced persons.
A complicated summit for Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
The complex scenario creates a climate of tension between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. The fact is that both have different visions on how to carry out the meeting with Hamas. For example, the American leader prefers to put the lives of the hostages first, so he does not recommend a zero-sum negotiation. This would imply that Israel would be much more flexible with the demands of the Islamic organization, something that the Jewish leader does not share.
It should be noted that Hamas has two non-negotiable conditions for a deal: the immediate withdrawal of the IDF from the Palestinian enclave and that the Israeli government signs a definitive cease-fire in the region. Netanyahu does not agree with either of these two points and has no intention of accepting them, something that could be detrimental to achieving a deal with the armed Palestinian movement, which governs Gaza.
Donald Trump is confident that a middle ground can be found that will work for both sides, although he will have to work hard to convince his Israeli counterpart. It is a complicated diplomatic situation for the US president, who must design a road map between the two proposals, which are totally contradictory. Until that happens, the hostages will remain in the hands of the enemy in Gaza.
What are the chances of reaching an agreement?
The key here to reaching a deal is the leverage the United States has over Israel. Only Donald Trump has the ability to convince Netanyahu to relax the conditions for the release of the hostages. Until this Monday, the Jewish leader continued not to accept the U.S. requests, so the July 7 meeting between the two leaders will be crucial to define the final design of the proposal to be delivered to Hamas.
It goes without saying the importance of the meeting on July 7. It is here that the final proposal could be defined, and it would even be the first step to end the conflict in Gaza, although for that, there must be a change of attitude on the part of Netanyahu, who does not fully trust his friendship with Trump. For his part, the American is keeping up the pressure on the Israeli government to reach a cease-fire.