President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Monday at Mar-a-Lago for a high-stakes discussion on the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
White House officials are said to be frustrated with Netanyahu's conduct in Gaza, believing he is dragging his feet and fearing hostilities could resume, Israeli news outlet Mako reported.
Netanyahu is skeptical about American plans for the second phase of the ceasefire, Mako reported.
President Donald Trump hopes to announce an international stabilization force in the Gaza strip beginning next month, along with a "Peace Council" headed by the president.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner are working with the Egyptians, Qataris, and Turks to complete all agreements and lay the groundwork for the second phase of the ceasefire, which includes the beginning of disarmament by Hamas and a further withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops, according to Mako.
But Netanyahu is said to be skeptical about Witkoff and Kushner's plans for the region, including the demilitarization of Gaza, a source told Mako, leading to frustration with the Israeli prime minister from high-level administration officials.
"It's [Vice President] JD [Vance], [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio], Jared, Steve, [White House chief of staff] Susie [Wiles]. He lost them," a senior White House official told Mako.
"The only one he has left is the president, who still loves him, but Trump also wants to see the Gaza agreement move forward faster than it is moving forward now," the official added.
Another White House official said of Netanyahu that "sometimes the Israelis do things that make it even more difficult."
The White House says continued Israeli military attacks that have included Palestinian civilians, including children, violate the ceasefire.
"Sometimes we feel that IDF commanders in the field are acting with a light hand on the trigger," a third senior White House official told Mako.
The meeting is Netanyahu's idea, White House officials told Mako, and he has been aggressively pressuring the Trump administration to set a date.
Trump and Netanyahu have met five times this year.
Last week, Witkoff and Kushner met in Miami with the prime minister of Qatar, the head of Egyptian intelligence, and the Turkish foreign minister to lay out the next steps for Gaza and what demands they would present Netanyahu, Mako reported.
Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to take steps to curb settler violence against Palestinians, release billions of dollars in Palestinian tax money it holds, and reach certain understandings with the U.S. regarding the settlement issue, Mako reported.
The White House will be emphasizing to Netanyahu the need to move from a mindset of war to one about promoting peace.
"We laid out all the opportunities and challenges for Netanyahu," a senior White House official told Mako.
"President Trump is convinced that he can help him with all these things, but not if the policy continues as it is now," the official added.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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