Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Israel to quickly end the war, but a former Trump aide and an Israeli official are the first to reveal that there is a timetable attached to the request, writes The Times of Israel.
Former US President Donald Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants Israel to end the war in Gaza by the time he takes office if he wins the election. This was revealed to The Times of Israel this week by two people familiar with the matter.
The message was first conveyed when the Republican presidential candidate hosted the Israeli prime minister at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in July, according to a former Trump administration official and an Israeli official.
The former US official stressed that Trump was not specific in his appeal to Netanyahu and may support the "remaining" activity by Israeli forces in Gaza as long as Jerusalem officially ends the war.
Netanyahu has long emphasized that Israel will maintain primary security control of Gaza for the foreseeable future after the war, and other Israeli officials have spoken of the IDF maintaining a buffer zone in the Strip while regularly entering areas throughout the enclave. when he finds Hamas fighters trying to regroup.
Trump has hinted in recent weeks that he will give Israel more freedom to make decisions, criticizing US President Joe Biden for trying to limit the potential targets of Jerusalem's retaliation against Iran's Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack.
The former US official clarified that the victory on the day before the start of the mandate, which Trump wants Israel to secure in Gaza, includes the return of the hostages.
Trump himself warned at the Republican National Convention in July that those holding American hostages abroad would "pay a very high price" if they were not released before he took office.
The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, two senior Israeli officials told The Times of Israel they were troubled by Trump's repeated calls for Israel to quickly end the war in Gaza, fearing that failure to do so would lead to a confrontation , if the former US president wins next week's election and returns to office in January.
"There are internal political constraints on ending the war quickly," one Israeli security official said at the time.
Although he declined to elaborate, he appeared to be referring to the composition of Netanyahu's coalition, which includes far-right elements who have opposed proposals for a hostage deal conditional on a permanent Gaza ceasefire.
In addition, there is near unanimity within the Netanyahu government against allowing the Palestinian Authority to play a role in the governance of Gaza. A second Israeli official said this contributed to the war dragging on as Jerusalem struggled to find a viable alternative to fill the power vacuum in Gaza, thereby allowing Hamas to regain ground in areas where the Israeli army left.
An opposition lawmaker - also speaking on condition of anonymity - admitted that dragging out the war until the January 20 inauguration would also strain relations with Vice President Kamala Harris if she wins in November.
Nevertheless, "Netanyahu managed to deal with the clashes with the Democratic presidents without paying a heavy price. In fact, he is running a campaign about his ability to oppose them," the MP said.
"Fighting Trump is something he hasn't really faced and I think it's something he would like to avoid, but [Finance Minister Betzalel] Smotrich and [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir they may not allow him, ", the lawmaker added, referring to the far-right cabinet ministers whose support the prime minister needs to stay in power.