Op-ed: Trump's Swiss cheese and Netanyahu's tough task

At a recent Security Cabinet meeting, one of Benjamin Netanyahu's ministers questioned Israel's reliance on Trump's peace plan, suggesting it is full of holes like Swiss cheese. 

The Israeli premier, well aware of the many question marks surrounding the future of Gaza, replied: "The plan is very elastic and Israel will work to make it elastic in its own direction."

On Monday and for the fifth time this year President Trump will host Netanyahu for a high-stakes meeting this time at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. Even if relations between the two are much better than described by some journalists, the Israeli leader will face a tough task bridging the gaps between them on Gaza, considering Trump's prestige is built on his claimed success in bringing peace to the Middle East, at least in his own words.

Their first meeting this year took place back in February, with Trump riding the momentum of his election victory. I was there in the room both in the Oval Office and in the East Wing when Trump amazed the world with his Gaza Riviera vision. The smiles on the faces of the Israeli entourage were difficult to hide. This time the two will meet with the Israeli leader concerned about yet another round of elections around the corner, his first since the October 7 massacre. 

Netanyahu, the son of a prominent historian, is well aware of the impact of the worst slaughter of Jews since WWII on his legacy. In his defense, over the past two years he has maneuvered with a considerable degree of success to change the face of the Middle East, at least temporarily pushing back the threat of Islamist terror groups from Israel's borders in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. He has also waged serious campaigns against distant enemies seeking to annihilate the State of Israel in Yemen and Iran.

Netanyahu knows Monday's meeting could prove crucial both for his legacy and for the most intriguing Israeli elections in years. His promise of "Total Victory" will be put to the test when Trump decides whether to fully move to the second phase of the Gaza deal; namely whether to proceed with the rebuilding of Gaza and further withdrawals of the IDF from the Strip without fulfilling the promise of his own 20 point peace plan: “Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”

More than two months into the Trump plan almost all Israeli hostages have returned, with Israel insisting on completing the task and bringing back the last one: slain police officer Master Sergeant Ran Gvili, whose body is still held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Beyond that, however, western Gaza is at a standstill. Hamas has been left almost untouched beyond the yellow line splitting the Strip from north to south.

The terror group has not only reinforced its dominance over the local population with an iron fist, including public executions, it is also rebuilding its military capabilities, reorganizing its armed wing, constructing terror infrastructure including tunnels and weapons manufacturing facilities, and locating and repairing explosives and ammunition left behind after months of intense fighting.

While Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is eager to move forward and begin reconstruction of the Strip, many problems still exist, primarily regarding the future of Hamas as a governing power. The U.S. failure to put together an International Stabilization Force in Gaza stems from the fact that no participating country is willing to deploy troops to areas controlled by the armed terror group. Israel for its part refuses to allow the reconstruction of Gaza in areas controlled by the IDF in the east before the issue of Hamas is fully addressed and resolved.

Looking ahead to the Israeli elections, likely early as June, even a political genius like Netanyahu would find it impossible to explain to his voters how the terror group he vowed to destroy still thrives, readying itself for the next opportunity to murder Jews.