West Palm Beach, Florida
\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Repeatedly this year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flown to the United States to praise President Donald Trump as Israel\u2019s greatest champion \u2014 and to quietly press him on taking more aggressive action against Israel\u2019s enemies.\n <\/p>\n
\n On Monday, when Netanyahu meets Trump at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, the message will be similar: He is looking for a tougher approach to Hamas in Gaza, and is warning of new advancements in Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program.\n <\/p>\n
\n Yet the reception this time may be different. Trump, who promised he would act as a president of peace, has been wary of some Israeli actions in recent months, including strikes in Syria<\/a>. He is mindful of American public sentiment, which hasn\u2019t favored becoming mired in another Middle Eastern war.\n <\/p>\n \n A tenuous Gaza ceasefire that Trump proudly traveled to the region to finalize in October is being tested<\/a> by continued deadly Israeli operations in the Palestinian enclave and a slow process to move to the second phase of the deal.\n <\/p>\n \n And despite many flashy demonstrations of friendship \u2014 including Trump\u2019s extraordinary call<\/a> for Israel\u2019s president to pardon Netanyahu amid corruption charges \u2014 the relationship between the men has, at moments, become strained over differences in how they view foreign policy in the region.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cI think both both of these guys don\u2019t trust one another. I\u2019m not even sure they like one another. But the reality is they need one another. Trump needs Netanyahu to avoid his much-touted 28-point-plan in Gaza from cratering. And Netanyahu desperately needs the president of the United States, in order to manage growing calls for his resignation,\u201d said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cMutual need creates a certain amount of dependency,\u201d he said. \u201cThis may not be a great meeting, but it\u2019s not going to crater.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The Monday meeting at Mar-a-Lago marks the second day in a row Trump has hosted a foreign leader to discuss peace over his holiday vacation, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the estate<\/a> Sunday.\n <\/p>\n \n More than two months after Trump traveled to Egypt<\/a> to sign the Gaza peace agreement, crucial pieces of the deal remain undefined as Israel tightens its military grip on the battered enclave.\n <\/p>\n \n The second phase of the deal includes Hamas\u2019 disarmament, the beginning of reconstruction, and the establishment of post-war governance. At the center of the new plan for administering Gaza is the creation of a \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d to be led by Trump and other world leaders.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019ll be one of the most legendary boards ever. Everybody wants to be on it,\u201d Trump said at the White House earlier this month.\n <\/p>\n \n The US is pushing to move quickly into the next phase, and wants to announce more specifics on the governance of Gaza and a new international stabilization force.\n <\/p>\n \n But Israel has been reluctant to further withdraw from Gaza without Hamas disarming. That has created tension with some White House advisers, who believe Netanyahu could be slow-walking the move to the next phase, according to people familiar with the matter.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIsrael has had no better friend in its history than President Trump,\u201d White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement ahead of the meeting.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe continue to work closely with our ally Israel to successfully implement the President\u2019s 20 Point Plan for Peace and strengthen regional security in the Middle East,\u201d Kelly said.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump and Netanyahu have been at odds over the last year on other issues. When Israel struck Hamas leaders<\/a> inside Qatar \u2014 a key US ally \u2014 in September, Trump was furious since it threatened to undermine his Gaza peace efforts. Qatar had been working as an important interlocutor between Hamas, the US and Israel for peace negotiations.\n <\/p>\n \n Later, during an Oval Office meeting, Trump insisted Netanyahu apologize<\/a> to Qatari leaders, even holding the telephone on his lap as the prime minister placed the call.\n <\/p>\n \n Divides exist in other areas as well. On Syria, Trump\u2019s embrace of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist, contrasts with Israel\u2019s determination to maintain a buffer zone. On Lebanon, Washington has been pushing for diplomacy, while Israel doubts Beirut\u2019s ability to restrain Hezbollah without another military campaign.\n <\/p>\n