Trump to host Netanyahu at White House on December 29: Israeli government

United States President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on December 29, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.

The announcement on Monday did not provide any further details of the planned meeting, which the pair had tentatively announced last week.

It came a day after Netanyahu said he expected to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza with Trump, as well as “opportunities for peace” in the region.

“The Prime Minister will meet with President Trump on Monday, December 29, they will discuss the future steps and phases and the international stabilisation force of the ceasefire plan,” government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said in an online briefing to reporters.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said the focus of the meeting would be on ending Hamas governance in Gaza and ensuring it fulfilled its “commitment” to the ceasefire plan, which calls for demilitarisation of the enclave. He added that the second phase of the ceasefire will be “more difficult”.

Despite over 590 Israeli violations, a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza has mostly held since October 10. Israeli forces have killed at least 360 Palestinians in the enclave since the ceasefire began, raising the overall death toll to over 70,000.

The first phase of the ceasefire related mainly to the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinians held by Israel, as well as Israel’s withdrawal from parts of Gaza.

Phase two of the deal would concern post-war governance, a deeply thorny issue that remains largely unresolved, with only a vague US road map.

Still to be determined are questions of leadership, future Palestinian self-determination and the role of any international stabilisation force.

The meeting also comes as Trump has heaped pressure on Netanyahu to forge a new security agreement with the fledgling government of Ahmed al-Sharaa in Syria.

In a post on social media last week, Trump called on Israel to seek “strong and true dialogue” with Syria.

That followed repeated incursions and airstrikes by Israel that have largely derailed talks.