🔗 Share this article

Benjamin Netanyahu has observed that the initial phase of the UN-endorsed Gaza halt in hostilities proposal is approaching finalization, stating that the next phase must involve the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister said he would discuss the future steps in late November in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza proposals were codified in a UN security council resolution on 17 November.

“We are close to finish the initial stage,” Netanyahu stated. “But we have to ensure that we attain the equivalent outcomes in the next stage, and that’s something I am eager to discussing with President Trump.”

German Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a joint media briefing with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who commented: “The second phase must start immediately and then phase three must also be taken into account.”

Merz is the initial head of state of a leading European state to hold talks with Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court issued warrants for arrest 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 securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had indicated he would welcome Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but said on Sunday a visit was not presently planned. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “fabricated charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

Under the initial stage of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 surviving Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has handed over all but one of 28 bodies of hostages killed during the war. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have pulled back to a demarcation line, resulting in them in control of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following 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 fatally wounded in Hamas military actions over the same timeframe.

Future Stages and Unclear Sequencing

Neither Trump’s suggestions, nor UN security council resolution 2803 which mostly endorsed them, specified a schedule extending the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is expected to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to withdraw farther, and an international stabilization force is to be set up under the control of a “peace board” of world leaders led by Trump, supervising a administrative Palestinian committee to run day-to-day administration of Gaza.

The order of these measures is ambiguous 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 obligation which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarise,” he said.

Possible Options and Political Positions

Netanyahu mentioned the possibility of “alternatives” to the ISF, without clarifying what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli annexation of the West Bank, describing it as a topic of “negotiation”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly against the creation of a Palestinian state, the objective of the peace process supported by most European and Arab capitals as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Charges and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary 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 chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a means of diverting attention from accusations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any wrongdoing, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the conclusion of an investigation.

Netanyahu asserted Khan was “damaging the reputation of the ICC” with “false charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “compromised prosecutor”.

A separate tribunal, the international court of justice, is weighing up 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 possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz informed reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to consider this at the current juncture.”