Netanyahu Starts Talks in Washington, US Demands 2nd Phase of Hamas Deal

Photo Credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, attend the Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony at the White House, September 15, 2020.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane landed in Washington, DC Sunday night, and a meeting is set on Monday between the Prime Minister and President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. This meeting will mark the beginning of talks on phase 2 of the deal with Hamas.

Phase 2, which involves the end of the war, essentially marks the start of “the day after” in the Gaza Strip. Consequently, the list of demands Hamas previously put forward has consistently crossed all of Israel’s red lines.

Hamas’s main demand for agreeing to the release of 65 Israeli and foreign hostages—its last bargaining chip—is the complete end of the war. This would involve a “sustainable peace” with no conditions, where Israel fully withdraws from the Gaza Strip and allows billions in aid from other countries for its reconstruction.

In addition, Hamas is likely to demand the release of more prisoners for each soldier not included in Phase 1, referring to the young men as “soldiers.” Seeking to present a victory at the conclusion of its deadly surprise attack on October 7, which also led to a complete catastrophe in the Strip, Hamas will probably push for the release of more high-profile prisoners in Phase 2, such as Marwan Barghouti from Fatah and Hassan Salameh, a senior member of Hamas’s military wing, both serving multiple life sentences.

The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont suggested Trump’s goal is to secure a stable Middle East to expand his 2020 Abraham Accords. To that end, Trump 47 wants to add Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia has made it clear that any progress, especially establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and joining the accords hinges on ending the war in Gaza and creating a path to Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu will spend his week in Washington gauging Trump’s stance on the planned initiation of negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal – the conclusion of the 2023-2025 war which Netanyahu was pressured into by Trump.

The talks on Phase 2 in Doha, Qatar, were scheduled to start on Monday, the 16th day of phase 1 of the ceasefire. However, Netanyahu has recalled his emissaries to the talks until after his meetings with Trump and his people, which are being described as an effort to establish a unified US-Israeli position heading into the Phase 2 discussions.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu will conduct his summit meeting with President Trump, covering the deal with Hamas, the Iranian nuclear program, and the normalization process with Saudi Arabia. Following the meeting, the two leaders will hold a press conference, sit down to a state dinner––Trump 47’s first such affair with a foreign leader––and meet with the families of the hostages.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister is expected to visit the Pentagon, where he may meet with incoming Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. On Thursday, Netanyahu will have a series of meetings in Congress with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune (Not a word about minority leader Chuck Schumer who declared Netanyahu must go home – DI).

The Prime Minister will probably remain in Washington over the weekend, possibly to meet with Jewish groups.