Report: Trump called on Netanyahu to resume implementation of the Gaza plan

A report published by the Axios news website revealed that US President Donald Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a phone call on Thursday, of his desire to take steps to implement his peace plan in Gaza, following the end of the Israeli elections held on October 27.

Trump's plan includes a roadmap to disarm Hamas and transfer responsibility for managing the Gaza Strip to a new technocratic Palestinian government, as well as launching a reconstruction and stabilization process.

But the implementation of this plan remained on hold for months due to the Israeli elections, as the Trump administration was keen for the implementation of the plan not to become a politically controversial issue during the Israeli election campaign, according to what Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Trump had expressed his support for Netanyahu before the elections. Now, after its end, the president seeks to move forward with his plan regarding Gaza, according to the sources.

The sources indicated that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, participated in the phone call between Trump and Netanyahu.

One of the sources described the call, which Netanyahu initiated, as constructive, noting that it also addressed the war in Iran.

Neither the White House nor the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued an immediate comment on requests for comment regarding the call.

Israel and Hamas agreed about a year ago on the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan, which resulted in a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of the last 20 surviving hostages who were detained during the attacks of October 7, 2023.

Since then, the “Peace Council” established within the framework of the Gaza Agreement has worked to prepare a plan to implement the next stages, including the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government and the establishment of an international force to stabilize the Strip.

Last July, the Peace Council reached an agreement with Hamas on a 15-point plan to disarm the armed factions in Gaza and transfer civilian and security control to the new Palestinian government.

However, the Netanyahu government did not show sufficient willingness to proceed with implementing the agreement, for reasons related to internal politics in Israel.

During a visit to Israel last August, Kushner informed Netanyahu that Hamas had agreed for the first time to disarm, and urged him to take steps to test the seriousness of this commitment.

But Netanyahu remains deeply skeptical about the possibility of disarming the movement, stressing that it is working to reshape its capabilities and arm itself again within the Strip.

According to the Axios report, the day after the call that took place between Trump and Netanyahu, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a member of the “Peace Council,” visited Israel, where he met Netanyahu and his political rival Gadi Eisenkot, who is charged with forming a new government to succeed Netanyahu’s government.

A source familiar with the visit said that Blair urged Netanyahu and other Israeli political leaders to give the plan a chance to be implemented.

Commenting on the course of the plan, an American official said: “Implementation will be difficult, but we believe it is a good plan for Israel. However, we cannot implement it with our hands tied behind our back.”

He added: “We want to move forward cooperatively, and we need full cooperation and partnership from the Israeli government.”

US President Donald Trump said that he cannot forgive some of his enemies, even if forgiveness is a condition for entering heaven, stressing that he has hatred for some of them and will continue to do so.

Trump's statements came during an interview with the "60 Minutes" program on CBS, which was broadcast on Sunday evening, where the program's host, Ross Douthat, asked him what he expected to happen to him after death, and Trump said: "I am a religious person, so in theory I will go to heaven."

Douthat then asked him if he would be able to forgive figures he had previously expressed hatred for, such as former FBI Director James Comey and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, if that was the only condition for entering heaven, to which Trump responded, saying: “Well, then I wouldn’t be real, would I?”, describing his opponents as “people with a complete lack of integrity, very bad people, and very harmful to our country.”

When Douthat asked him if his answer meant no, Trump said clearly: “The answer is no.” “I want to be honest, no.”

The interviewer added that Trump lived an exceptional life and enjoyed many opportunities and gains, wondering if all of this was not enough for him to find space in his heart to forgive some of his opponents before standing before divine reckoning.

The US President responded: “Can I be honest? "I probably can't do that, because I hate some of my enemies, and I will always hate them."

These statements come in light of the continuing sharp disagreements between Trump and a number of political and legal figures who have been the target of his criticism over the past years, and his second term witnessed a number of these people being subjected to legal scrutiny and investigations.

Among the most prominent names mentioned in this context are James Comey, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who have faced accusations and judicial procedures during the recent period.

US President Donald Trump said that the risks posed by artificial intelligence can be managed, but he expressed a willingness to put in place preventive measures, as he told the “60 Minutes” program on CBS that “he has no objection to having controls.”

In response to a question about whether the United States should accept the risks of artificial intelligence in order to maintain its superiority over China, Trump said that these risks are manageable, and expressed his willingness to cooperate with Democrats on developing preventive measures.

“I don’t mind setting controls,” he said, adding that he did not want the regulations to put the United States in a “low second place” behind China, which he said does not impose such restrictions.

Trump has previously expressed his preference for letting technology companies police themselves rather than imposing sweeping government restrictions. According to Reuters, his most recent comments indicate some openness toward establishing guarantees, although it is still unclear to what extent.