President Donald Trump took office last month with ambitious peace plans for the Middle East, but the war in Gaza has overshadowed his agenda for the region ahead of a meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The two leaders are expected to focus on the ceasefire in Gaza when they meet at the White House, threats from Iran, a potential deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, while pushing other Middle East issues to the back burner.
Trump likely can’t make progress on other regional priorities until Israel and Hamas agree to a permanent end to their war in Gaza, analysts said.
“Trump is aware that it’s not helpful to his agenda to continue to have an active” war in Gaza, said Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and former Biden administration official who resigned over former President Joe Biden‘s Gaza policy.
During his first term in office, Trump helped broker peace deals between Israel and some of its neighbors. Before returning to power he vowed to achieve a “lasting” peace in the Middle East.
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A landmark deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia would bolster Trump’s legacy in the region. But the Saudis have said an agreement is contingent on the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
“Trump very much wants a deal” between Israel and Saudi Arabia, said Daniel Byman, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But [first] there needs to be a ceasefire in place” in Gaza.
Before meeting with Netanyahu, Trump signed an executive order aimed at exerting “maximum pressure” to block Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. He also took action to continue a halt on funding for the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.
The meeting Tuesday between Trump and Netanyahu is Trump’s first in-person meeting with another head of state since taking office last month.
It comes at a critical moment in the war between Israel and Hamas. The conflict was started by the Hamas attack inside Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 people and also resulted in roughly 250 people being taken hostage. Israel has since killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza according to the local public health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian deaths and dead Hamas fighters.
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Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal in the final days of the Biden administration that brought a temporary pause to the fighting. Trump took partial credit for the deal, which has led to the exchange of some hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The Trump administration has signaled it wants Israel and Hamas to move to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which would free the remaining hostages in Gaza and wind down the war for good.
The third phase of the agreed-upon ceasefire centers on rebuilding Gaza. Senior administration officials said Tuesday that the reconstruction of Gaza would likely take a decade or more to complete.
Netanyahu faces opposition to further peace talks from members of his right-wing coalition, and the Trump administration has not laid out detailed plans for what a post-war future in Gaza might look like.
Trump said last week that Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinians from Gaza. Hamas, which controlled Gaza before the war began, opposed such a suggestion. It was also rejected by several Arab nations including Egypt and Jordan, and by the Palestinian Authority.
Trump reiterated his position Tuesday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Palestinians have “no alternative” but to leave Gaza. Expelling Gazans from the Strip, even on a temporary basis, would likely be a non-starter for the Saudis as well, reflecting the tight-rope that Trump must walk in executing his priorities for the region.
Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to hold a press conference at the White House after their meeting Tuesday. The meeting and press conference is part of a multi-day trip to Washington by Netanyahu, who is expected to meet with other senior administration officials and members of Congress later in the week.
