A former Trump administration official indicated that Trump may support “residual” IDF military activity in Gaza after a ceasefire.
By World Israel News Staff
According to a report in Times of Israel, former US president Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the war in Gaza must end before he assumes office.
Sources familiar with the matter reported that Trump even gave Netanyahu a timeline, urging him to comply with the request.
A former Trump administration official and an Israeli official reported the demand was made during Netanyahu’s July visit to the US, during which Netanyahu visited Trump in Mar-a-Lago.
Although Trump said publicly in an August press conference that he requested Israel wind up the war with Hamas, this is the first time the sources say that the former President gave Netanyahu a timeline for doing so.
In the August press conference, Trump said, “He knows what he’s doing, and I encouraged him to get this over with. It has to get over with fast. … Get your victory and get it over with. It has to stop, the killing has to stop.”
The former Trump official indicated that Trump may support “residual” military activity in Gaza after a ceasefire.
Netanyahu has on numerous occasions stated that Israel will maintain long-term security control over the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas from re-emerging as a military and political power in the region.
In a Monday meeting with Likud knesset members, the premier said that he is not ready to end the war or to capitulate to Hamas’s demands for releasing the hostages, namely, a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip.
Despite his reported demand and timeline for Israel to end the war, Trump has made remarks during the campaign that indicate he will put less pressure on Israel concerning what military decisions to make than current President Joe Biden did.
At the Republican convention, Trump warned that Hamas would “pay a huge price” if they didn’t release the hostages by the time he assumes office.