Netanyahu departs for US to meet Trump on Gaza plan, Hezbollah tensions |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took off on Sunday from Ben Gurion Airport headed for Florida, where he is set to meet with US President Donald Trump for talks expected to focus on the future of the Gaza Strip and ongoing threats from Hezbollah and Iran.
In a rare move, Netanyahu did not have reporters accompanying him on his flight and did not give a customary statement ahead of his departure.
Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump, the fifth since Trump returned to office in January for his second term, is scheduled at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at 3:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. Israel time) on Monday.
The visit comes with the US wanting to push ahead with the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which is supposed to see the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic government for the Strip, overseen by a Trump-led Board of Peace, as well as the deployment of an International Stabilization Force as the IDF’s presence in the Strip is phased out.
Israel and Hamas have not formally signed on to the........