NEW YORK, Sept 29: US President Donald Trump was upbeat about the chances of a Gaza deal on Monday as he hosted Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to push the Israeli prime minister to accept his peace plan.
“I am, I’m very confident,” Trump told reporters as he greeted Netanyahu when asked if he was confident there would be peace in Gaza.
He repeated “very confident” when asked if all parties were on board with the 21-point plan to end the nearly two-year war, free hostages held by Hamas and disarm the Palestinian militants.
The US president met key Arab leaders at the United Nations last week and said Sunday on social media that “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER.”
But Netanyahu has given little reason for optimism, vowing in a defiant UN speech Friday to “finish the job” against Hamas and rejecting Palestinian statehood — recently recognized by several Western nations.
The White House announced that the pair are scheduled to hold a joint news conference at 1:15 pm (1715 GMT), in an apparent indication that Trump is hoping to announce a breakthrough.
“To reach a good deal, a reasonable deal for both sides, both sides have to give up a little bit and might leave the table a little bit unhappy,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday.
Hamas has not yet given a reaction to the plan.
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