Trump-Netanyahu Meeting: Warnings to Hamas & Iran, Disagreement over West Bank
The US President, Donald Trump, hosted on Monday the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Beyond mutual flattery and praise, the discussions between Trump and Netanyahu focused on critical issues related to the Middle East peace, most notably the second phase of the Gaza peace plan and Iran’s nuclear threats.
Warning to Hamas
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trump said he wanted to advance phase two of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, which involves the formation of the Board of Peace, the deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) and the disarmament of Hamas.
However, the Palestinian movement insists it will only hand over its weapons if Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territories while Israel suggested it will resume military action if Hamas does not give up its weapons peacefully.
In this context, Trump urged Hamas to disarm promptly to avoid consequences. “They’re gonna be given a very short period of time to disarm … but if they don’t disarm, as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them,” he warned.
The US President also claimed that some unnamed countries have offered to “wipe out” Hamas if they do not disarm, according to the Guardian.
A Threat to Iran
One of the key topics on the Trump-Netanyahu meeting’s agenda was the Israeli concerns over Iran’s ballistic missile program. Trump’s remarks before, during and after the meeting showed support for Israel in launching new strikes on Iran to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its missile capabilities.
“If they will continue with the missiles, yes,” Trump said before the meeting when asked about US support for a new strike.
“Speaking of Iran, I hope they’re not trying to build up again, because if they are, we’re going to have no choice but very quickly eradicate that buildup,” he said later during a press conference.
“I’ve been reading that they’re building up weapons and other things, and if they are, they’re not using the sites we obliterated, but possibly different sites,” he said.
“We know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing, and I hope they’re not doing it because we don’t want to waste fuel on a B-2,” Trump added, referring to the B-2 bombers used in the US strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Iran and Israel fought a 12-day war in June, which ended with a Trump-brokered ceasefire after the US bombed Tehran’s key nuclear facilities.
Since then, the two countries have been accusing each other of planning a new attack, signaling readiness for a renewed confrontation. Israel is wary that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile capabilities and could launch a surprise attack.
West Bank Disagreement
The US President said that his talks with Netanyahu addressed the rising violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, suggesting that the two leaders did not agree on the issue.
“I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank a 100%, but we’ll come to a conclusion on the West Bank,” Trump said. However, he declined to reveal the reasons behind this disagreement. “It will be announced at an appropriate time, but he will do the right thing,” he added, referring to Netanyahu.
The Trump administration has voiced opposition to Israel’s formal annexation of the West Bank as a threat to Gaza peace plans. Back in September, the US President warned that annexing the West Bank would cross a red line. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It’s not going to happen,” he said.
Lebanon and Syria
The Trump-Netanyahu meeting also discussed the potential renewal of conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tensions remain high between Lebanon and Israel over the disarmament of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah under the ceasefire agreement signed in November 2024.
Asked about US support for Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Trump said “we’ll see about it,” adding that “the Lebanese government is at a little bit of a disadvantage, if you think of it, with Hezbollah. But Hezbollah has been behaving badly, so we’ll see what happens.”
On Syria, Trump said that he was sure Netanyahu would get along with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, according to Reuters. The Israeli Prime Minister, for his part, said he wanted to have a “peaceful border with Syria.”
