Washington steps up diplomacy to end Gaza war
WASHINGTON
The United States has intensified diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza as U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepare for a White House meeting scheduled for Sept. 29.
Last week, Trump unveiled a 21-point proposal aimed at an immediate cessation of hostilities, securing the release of the remaining 20 hostages and the bodies of 28 others held by Hamas within 48 hours of implementation and dismantling the group’s offensive capabilities.
The plan also offered political incentives, including amnesty and safe passage abroad for Hamas members who agree to disarm, alongside a potential framework for Palestinian statehood once necessary reforms are carried out.
Trump is expected to urge Netanyahu to endorse this initiative during their upcoming discussion, while the Israeli leader plans to bring up issues of sovereignty in the occupied West Bank, despite the U.S. leader firm opposition.
Last week, Trump emphasized, “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.”
Meanwhile, members of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of Israeli settlers, traveled to the United States as part of an “emergency delegation” on the sovereignty matter, seeking to influence U.S. policy before Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, was scheduled to visit Cairo to meet with senior Egyptian officials, marking the first official visit of its kind in decades.
Sources reported that the discussions will primarily focus on the Gaza conflict and the tensions between Israel and Egypt, which have escalated following Israel’s recent military operation in Gaza City.
Huckabee is expected to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty to address these issues and to outline the new U.S. peace proposal presented by Trump to Arab and Muslim leaders.
Egypt has criticized Israel’s recent military actions in Gaza, while Israeli officials have expressed concern about Egypt’s troop buildup in the Sinai Peninsula near the Gaza border.
In response, Egypt has stated that its forces are deployed in Sinai solely to protect national borders and rejected Israeli claims that the deployment violates the peace agreement between the two nations.
