Overview
- U.S. and Republican sources say Trump is publicly praising Netanyahu while keeping disputes private after their West Palm Beach meeting.
- Senior aides are frustrated over what they see as Israeli stalling on the Gaza plan’s second phase, and they expect Israel may soon announce a fuller reopening of Rafah, according to these accounts.
- Policy frictions persist, with U.S. officials questioning the necessity of some Israeli strikes in Gaza, disagreeing over a role for Turkey, and facing Israeli resistance to fully reopening the Rafah crossing.
- Netanyahu has reportedly signaled conditional acceptance of moving to phase two of the ceasefire framework, but the shift remains delayed by Hamas’s failure to return all deceased hostages and disarm.
- Separate reporting says Netanyahu discussed a possible 2026 “second round” of strikes on Iran with Trump, and that Trump could back action against Hamas or Iran under certain conditions, though these details rely on unnamed sources.