Watan-A report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Monday revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to seek a U.S. commitment to dismantle Hamas during his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. This initiative comes amid accusations that Netanyahu is attempting to obstruct the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
A source within the Israeli delegation to Washington expressed concern that appointing Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close associate of Netanyahu, to manage the political aspects of the deal could facilitate hindering its second phase.
Securing U.S. Support
The source refrained from confirming whether Israel would proceed with implementing the second phase but emphasized that Netanyahu’s primary goal is to secure full American backing to achieve one of the main objectives of the war: ending Hamas’s rule.
The report noted that Netanyahu’s inner circle is optimistic about the possibility of removing Hamas from power in Gaza, citing Palestinian faction meetings in Cairo that indicate Hamas’s varying degrees of willingness to relinquish authority in the Strip. However, the report did not present a clear and actionable Israeli plan to end Hamas’s governance there.
During his visit, Netanyahu is also expected to meet with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Monday to announce the commencement of negotiations for the second phase. Netanyahu, in coordination with Witkoff, had previously postponed the start of these negotiations, which were initially scheduled to begin last Saturday under the auspices of mediators.
According to the same source, President Trump intends to play a more central role in formulating the agreement between the parties, aiming to become a dominant figure in the negotiations. The source stated that “the president’s stance on Hamas will significantly impact Israel’s ability to achieve its declared goal,” noting that after taking the oath of office, Trump remarked that “Hamas has not governed the Strip well; it has managed it brutally, and that cannot be allowed.”
The source also indicated that Israel’s insistence on eliminating Hamas stems from its understanding that Trump is unwilling to return to combat under any circumstances. Therefore, “Israel has quickly adapted to the new rules imposed by the Trump administration and seeks to avoid appearing as the party that breaches the agreement by resuming military operations.”
Appointing Dermer to Undermine the Deal
The source told the newspaper that due to the “deep interest” of the U.S. administration in achieving a ceasefire deal, Netanyahu is expected to soon appoint Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to manage the political track of the deal in coordination with Witkoff.
The newspaper quoted the source saying that “this appointment seems natural given Dermer’s deep knowledge, as Israel’s former ambassador to Washington, and his relationships with many members of the current Republican administration.”
He added that Dermer, along with Mossad chief David Barnea, is leading talks between Israel and the United States regarding normalization with Saudi Arabia, a move that may now include ending the war and completing the deal. Dermer is responsible for drafting the political aspect of the agreement, while Barnea oversees the security aspects.
The source interpreted that appointing Dermer, a close confidant of Netanyahu, to this task would make it easier for the Prime Minister to obstruct the second phase of the agreement, noting that “Dermer handles special assignments for the Prime Minister, and Netanyahu trusts him implicitly, which may help him implement his desires, contrary to the criticisms Netanyahu has directed at the behavior of the current negotiating team.”
The source also pointed out that the Israeli Prime Minister had previously stated that he is not interested in ending the war or the second phase of the agreement, explaining that his governing coalition would collapse if such a step were approved.
He concluded by saying that Netanyahu’s position is that “Israel should not be the one to dismantle the agreement; rather, it should set conditions that push Hamas to blow it up.”
Political sources denied this claim to the newspaper, clarifying that Dermer is responsible for managing all relations with the U.S. government, and it is natural for him to also handle relations related to this deal.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that “the reports are inaccurate, and no decisions regarding the negotiations will be made until the Prime Minister returns from the United States.”
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday at the White House in Washington, where he arrived on an official visit Sunday evening, expected to last until Thursday.
On January 19, a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement began, consisting of three phases, each lasting 42 days. In the first phase, negotiations are held to initiate the second and third phases, mediated by Qatar and Egypt with U.S. support.
With American backing, between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, Israel committed genocide in Gaza, resulting in over 159,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, more than 14,000 missing persons, and one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
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