Saudis not demanding Palestinian state, Trump says after meeting with Netanyahu

Trump and Netanyahu praised each other’s leadership. “We have a combination that’s very unbeatable,” Trump said.

World Israel News and JNS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon since the latter’s second term began on Jan. 20.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters ahead of the meeting on Tuesday that Trump’s invite to Netanyahu means that the U.S. president “will continue to stand strongly with Israel and that he is wholeheartedly committed to ensuring all of the hostages return home.”

The talks focused largely on starting the negotiations for stage two of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, in which Israel is to withdraw entirely from Gaza in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages and a permanent cessation of hostilities.

According to Trump, the Saudis are no longer demanding a Palestinian state.

During the meeting, Trump suggested that displaced Palestinians in Gaza should be “permanently” resettled outside the war-torn territory, the Asssociated Press reported. “It’s all death in Gaza,” he said. “Right now you have a very dangerous situation there… They’re living in hell. If they have an alternative, they won’t want to go back to Gaza.”

Asked if it would be feasible for Israelis to resettle Gaza, he said, “It’s too dangerous.”

After a “positive and friendly” meeting between the Israeli delegation and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday, Jerusalem announced it was dispatching a delegation to Doha, Qatar this coming weekend to discuss the future of the ceasefire agreement.

Upon his return from the United States, Netanyahu is planning to convene Israel’s Security Cabinet to outline Jerusalem’s stance on the second phase of the deal, shaping future negotiations, the PMO added.

Netanyahu, who touched down in Washington on Sunday, has extended his visit stateside until Saturday night, his office announced on Monday morning, citing “many requests by U.S. officials who want to meet him.”

The prime minister’s Wednesday and Thursday itineraries include meetings with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.).