US President Donald Trump will reportedly tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White chief Benny Gantz that they have until the Knesset elections to work on the administration’s long-awaited peace plan, potentially throwing the high stakes diplomatic gambit into Israel’s domestic political stew.
According to a report by the Reuters news agency, citing a US official, Trump will not announce details of the plan until after he receives buy-in from both Netanyahu and Gantz so that it does not lose any momentum.
According to the unnamed official, Trump will tell the two, “You have six weeks to get this [plan] going, if you want it.”
It is unclear what either side could accomplish in even jump-starting talks based on the deal with neither having the confidence of the nation until the March 2 election. However, a number of politicians have expressed fears that releasing the plan before the vote will turn it into a political football as electoral campaigns ramp up.
The last year has seen Netanyahu and Gantz facing off in successive elections for almost a year, with neither side able to form a majority government.
Both Netanyahu and Gantz are scheduled to meet with Trump, separately and privately, in the White House on Monday.
Netanyahu will meet with Trump at 11 a.m. (6 p.m. in Israel) for two meetings, including one without aides, and then Gantz will arrive at the White House at 12:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.) for a 45-minute discussion.
Netanyahu and Trump are set for a higher-profile meeting Tuesday, which will include a joint statement. READ MORE
