President Trump and senior advisers urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change Israel’s approach in the West Bank during a Monday meeting, warning that further escalation could undermine implementation of the Gaza deal and complicate efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, according to officials with direct knowledge.
Trump asked Netanyahu to avoid provocative actions and de-escalate tensions, citing concerns over settler violence, Palestinian Authority instability, and settlement expansion. Netanyahu agreed to move toward the second phase of the Gaza agreement and accepted Trump’s request to resume talks with Syria on a potential security arrangement, despite ongoing differences over the Gaza deal’s execution.
“We have had a discussion, big discussion, for a long time on the West Bank. I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank 100%, but we will come to a conclusion,” Trump said after the meeting. Netanyahu also pledged stronger action against settler violence, an issue that remains politically sensitive given the influence of the settler movement within his governing coalition.
