Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said efforts are being made with the US to follow the military victory over Iran with a regional diplomatic initiative to end the war in Gaza and expand regional peace agreements.
Mr Netanyahu said: “We’ve been working on it energetically. Along with releasing our hostages and defeating Hamas, there is an opportunity, a window of opportunity has opened, and it can’t be missed. Not even a single day can be wasted.”
Mr Netanyahu asked the Tel Aviv district court to suspend proceedings in his corruption trial for two weeks so that he can devote more time to a possible ceasefire deal. The court rejected the request.
US president Donald Trump, in a bizarre social media post, recently called for the trial to end, writing: “Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”
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Mr Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty.
Mr Trump’s message appeared to be linked to a wider push for regional peace and an effort to prepare public opinion in Israel for a move to pardon Mr Netanyahu. There was speculation in the Israeli media that the initiative for Mr Trump’s message may have come from the prime minister’s office.
Opposition politicians and legal experts have criticised Mr Trump’s comments as a blatant interference in Israel’s internal affairs, but coalition members are considering the promotion of a Bill to cancel the trial.
US officials have spoken in recent days of progress in efforts to reach a Gaza ceasefire, noting that the defeat of Iran, the main backer of Hamas, has put extra pressure on the militant group.
Senior Trump administration officials have urged Israel to send its negotiation team to Cairo next week, but Israeli officials have indicated such a move was premature.
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Israel is not willing to commit to an end to the war and Hamas refuses to disarm and agree that its leaders will leave Gaza as part of any deal.
According to the Yisrael Hayom newspaper, as part of the emerging US plan to end the war, new countries including Saudi Arabia and Syria would join the Abraham Accords – the series of normalisation that Mr Trump’s administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. Oman, Qatar and Indonesia have also been mentioned as states that may join the Abraham Accords if the conflict ends. As part of the deal, Israel would be required to commit to supporting a future Palestinian state.
According to the plan, after Hamas leaders are exiled, four Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, would be tasked with jointly governing Gaza and supervising reconstruction efforts. Gazans wishing to emigrate would be absorbed by several unnamed countries, even though no country has expressed a willingness to absorb Gaza residents.
Gazans reacted angrily in February when Mr Trump suggested the US could develop Gaza and force Palestinians to go elsewhere. The plan drew global condemnation with Palestinians, Arab nations and the UN saying it would amount to ethnic cleansing.
The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage into Gaza.
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In response, Israel launched a military campaign that has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
A large majority of people in Israel want the conflict to end. In the last month 20 soldiers have been killed. A poll on Friday showed that 59 per cent of Israelis support ending the war in a deal that would bring back all 50 remaining hostages, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
