Significant progress was made in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meetings with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. But several critical issues will be addressed in Netanyahu’s direct talks with Trump. On the Israeli side, the optimism is more cautious, with the sense that some matters have been deliberately left vague.
The White House visit follows days of intense consultations between Netanyahu and Trump’s closest advisers, during which major gaps between Israel and the administration were significantly narrowed on core issues of the American plan to end the war.
Behind the smiles in Washington lie deep disagreements: Qatar insists on a full withdrawal from Gaza, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are conditioning involvement on the disarmament of the Hamas terrorist organization, and Israel is determined to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor.
The next war could be harsher and more violent, and the likelihood of such a conflict is growing as diplomatic efforts reach a dead end. Israel must not underestimate the Islamic Republic. If there is one lesson from recent history, it is that Iran's regime is stronger than many believed.
A force at the location opened fire toward the truck driver and neutralized him, but during the incident, they mistakenly fired (friendly fire) toward a young Israeli, who was seriously wounded.
