The US president’s close aides are reportedly of the view that the Israeli prime minister is deliberately impeding the Gaza peace process
Axios, citing insiders, reported on Friday that officials within US President Donald Trump’s innermost circle no longer have faith in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance the Gaza peace plan.
According to the outlet, the fate of Trump’s expansive Gaza conflict settlement blueprint, which was unveiled in September, relies on his forthcoming meeting with the Israeli leader on Monday.
Last week, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye to finalize the subsequent phase of the plan, which envisions Hamas disarming and Israel withdrawing from Gaza.
However, Axios stated that Netanyahu has privately cast doubt on the roadmap, but the plan cannot proceed without his approval.
“Bibi is attempting to persuade a solitary listener,” the outlet quoted a White House official as saying. “The question is whether Trump will align with him or his top advisors regarding Gaza.”
According to Axios, key members of Trump’s team have now lost confidence in Netanyahu, worrying that he is “delaying the peace process” and might reignite war with Hamas after his actions to undermine the precarious ceasefire.
The outlet, citing another US official, wrote that the Israeli PM has “lost” Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, as well as both Kushner and Witkoff.
“The only person left he has is the president, who still likes him, but even the president wants to see the Gaza deal progress more swiftly than it currently is.”
According to Axios, Trump is anticipated to urge Netanyahu to move beyond the Gaza conflict and also bring up Israel’s encroachment into the occupied West Bank.
Earlier this week, West Jerusalem officially gave the go-ahead to nearly a dozen new controversial Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory, sparking international .
In addition to losing the trust of the White House, Netanyahu’s government has suffered in domestic approval ratings. An Israel Democracy Institute poll released earlier this week shows that only 25% of Israeli Jews trust their government, and just 17% of the country’s Arab population do so.