Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed in an interview with Fox News that Israel is currently collaborating with the Trump administration to advance the American 21-point plan for ending the war in Gaza. Speaking from New York a day before his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Netanyahu said, �We�re working on it. It�s not been finalized yet, but we�re working with President Trump�s team, actually, as we speak.�
He emphasized the importance of the plan, stating, �I hope we can make it a go, because we want to free our hostages, we want to get rid of Hamas rule, and have them disarmed, Gaza demilitarized, and a new future set up for Gazans and Israelis alike, and for the whole region.�
Addressing the terms related to Hamas, Netanyahu explained that Israel would allow Hamas members safe passage if they end the war and release all hostages. �Ahead of his planned meeting with US President Donald Trump tomorrow, Netanyahu stresses that �the details of this have to be worked out,� while telling the network that �if Hamas leaders finish the war, release all the hostages, we let them out.�� He added, �That is something that I�ve said in the past, but it has to be worked out. All of that, I think, is part of the plan. I�m not going to preempt it, because we�re having these discussions exactly right now.�
Regarding the Palestinian Authority�s role post-war, Netanyahu reaffirmed his long-standing opposition to PA governance in Gaza. �I haven�t changed my positions, and I think that the credibility or the likelihood of the things � a reformed Palestinian Authority that changes completely its stripes� Some people will believe it happens. I don�t think it�s going to happen,� he said.
The Prime Minister also addressed concerns about Israel�s recent military actions in Doha and Gaza, and their impact on the Abraham Accords. He stated, �I think there are many possibilities for peace, which I�m discussing with President Trump and his team, and we plan to seize them. I think you�ll see that not only are the Abraham Accords not endangered, they�ll be expanded to other countries.�
Despite some Gulf leaders, including the UAE, expressing concern over Israel�s strike in Qatar, Netanyahu defended the action, saying, �I think that the United States and any self-respecting country doesn�t give a pass to terrorists. Of course, we weren�t attacking Qatar any more than [the US was] attacking Pakistan when [it] took out [former Al-Qaeda leader Osama] Bin Laden.�
He also addressed a clause within the 21-point plan that would bar Israel from future strikes in Qatar. �These things, again, will be worked out because our goal was that. Our goal was Hamas, not anything beyond it. I think we can work out an understanding on this,� Netanyahu concluded.