On Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump is set to have a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago. Their discussions are expected to revolve around the rising tensions with Iran and the potential for further advancements in the Gaza peace plan.
Before his meeting with President Trump, Netanyahu will have a morning session with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Dr. Dan Diker, who leads the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, shared with Fox News Digital that President Trump has probably been exerting pressure on Netanyahu since the initial phases of the peace plan. Diker highlighted that Trump has little tolerance for the extended timelines typical of Middle Eastern affairs, contrasting them with the shorter timelines in the U.S. and real estate industry.
In a past interaction, President Donald Trump conversed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport before departing for Sharm El-Sheikh on October 13, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Diker pointed out, “The challenge lies in Hamas’s strategy of survival and maintaining control over the western part of Gaza while continuing attacks on Israel. This tactic increases tensions between Israel and the U.S., utilizing Gaza’s tunnel network.”
During his visit, Netanyahu aims to present a comprehensive threat assessment concerning Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, emphasizing their severity. He intends to convince President Trump of Iran’s ongoing military buildup and seek his support for Israel to take decisive actions against Hamas.
Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid told Fox News Digital that “We [Israel] should be coordinating with President Trump on all the major fronts, but the top priority has to be the management of stage two in Gaza.”
Lapid added, “Israel needs to achieve the disarmament of Hamas and the removal of the threat from Gaza, and that requires the implementation of President Trump’s plan.”
Hamas terrorists marching in Gaza during a parade. (Getty Images)
IRANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS AT ‘TOTAL WAR’ WITH THE US, ISRAEL AND EUROPE: REPORTS
During the meeting, Netanyahu will reportedly present Trump with plans for a potential strike on Iran. Israel has warned Washington that a recent Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps missile drill could be masking preparations for an attack, a concern that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conveyed to U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper during recent meetings in Tel Aviv.
In a Saturday interview reported by the country’s media, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is engaged in what he described as a “total war” with the U.S., Israel and Europe. The Times of Israel reported him saying, “In my opinion, we are at total war with the United States, Israel and Europe,” Pezeshkian said. “They want to bring our country to its knees.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the U.S. of a “grave betrayal” at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 24, 2025, in New York City. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)
Axios reported that U.S. intelligence assesses there is no immediate threat, while Israeli defense officials say forces remain on heightened alert.
According to Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer on Iran and the Middle East at Reichman University, Netanyahu’s plan is expected to call for strikes on Iran’s missile program.
Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran. (Getty)
“Israel will probably hope that such a wide-scale attack would further undermine the legitimacy of Iran’s supreme leader, thereby creating greater political instability within the country. This is especially true given that after the recent war with Israel, Iran’s economy has deteriorated significantly, and the regime is not taking the necessary steps to address these problems,” he said.
Israeli Minister for Settlement and National Missions Orit Strook stressed the importance of completing full Gaza demilitarization before moving forward with further stages of the plan.
She referenced Trump’s address to the Israeli Knesset in October, noting that he highlighted his role in building international support for Gaza’s demilitarization and securing a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the full dismantling of weapons, tunnels and terror infrastructure.
The IDF announced that as part of the ceasefire agreement and in accordance with the directive of the political echelon, IDF troops under the Southern Command have begun marking the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip to establish tactical clarity on the ground. (IDF)
“Hamas wakes up every day with a mission to hurt us,” Strook told Fox News Digital. “The IDF will not withdraw even one meter, and no rehabilitation framework will be established until full demilitarization is completed.
“If, God forbid, the opposite happens in the meeting, it will be a failure of the peace plan, a failure for Trump himself — who would be settling for fake demilitarization— and a failure for us. We will not be able to say that we won this war if Hamas remains armed,” she added.
Trump is nevertheless expected to soon unveil the second stage of his Gaza framework, despite Hamas’s failure to return the remains of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, and whose body was taken to Gaza by Hamas terrorists.
