Netanyahu aims to achieve six major objectives in Washington visit: Eldawiry to Al Arabiya

Ahram Online , Monday 3 Feb 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington and anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump would significantly impact the whole situation in the region, Major General Mohamed Ibrahim Eldawiry, deputy director of the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies, said in an interview with Al Arabiya.

GAZA
File photo: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamen Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. AP

 

Netanyahu's visit, which comes at a critical moment amid the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, has raised concerns regarding a possible US-Israeli alignment that could lead to changes in the Middle East map.

Eldawiry told Al Arabiya that Nentanyahu's current visit to Washington is one of the most significant visits in recent memory, and it would soon impact the situation in the whole region.

He suggested that the visit would likely have the following six objectives:

- Further strengthening the strategic relations between Israel and the US while pushing Trump to respond favourably to all Israeli demands on military, economic, and political levels;

- Securing Washington’s support for Israel’s stance toward the future of Gaza, particularly ensuring that Hamas does not return to govern the territory at any cost, along with obtaining a US commitment to resume the war if Hamas violates the ceasefire agreement;

- Preventing Washington from proposing any solutions to the Palestinian cause outside the "Deal of the Century," which Trump had introduced in January 2018. This deal grants Israel sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank and bypasses the issues of Palestinian refugees and Jerusalem;

- Registering support for the recent Trump proposals regarding the displacement of 1.5 million residents of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan while ensuring that efforts continue to implement these proposals rather than abandon them;

- Achieving full alignment on the necessity of increasing pressure on Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, even if it means carrying out military action against it;

- Laying the groundwork for Washington to facilitate Israel’s ultimate goal — normalization with Arab states.

Additionally, Eldawiry described Netanyahu's visit at this particular time as an attempt to prevent the collapse of the ruling Israeli coalition.

From Netanyahu’s perspective, the visit must result in complete US alignment, which would help contain the positions of the far-right parties within Netanyahu’s government and prevent their withdrawal.

At the same time, it would bolster Netanyahu’s position, allowing him to maintain his ruling coalition until the end of December 2026.

Netanyahu will certainly seek to convince Trump that the collapse of the Israeli government could lead to the failure of implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Eldawiry explained that this could happen, especially if Finance Minister Smotrich insists on his threat to withdraw from the government unless fighting against Hamas resumes after the first phase of the agreement.

Therefore, Netanyahu will argue that the US president must fully support Israel in achieving the six previously mentioned objectives.

On the other side, Trump will use the visit to reaffirm Washington's unwavering commitment to Israel's security as a fundamental principle that cannot be compromised. He will also also demonstrate alignment with Israel on several key issues.

Regional rejection 
 

Egypt and Jordan have repeatedly voiced their strong rejection of proposals calling for the displacement or relocation of Palestinians from their land.

On Saturday, an Arab ministerial meeting in Cairo reiterated rejection of Trump's proposal to displace Palestinians from the heavily devastated Gaza Strip, expressing a desire to work with the new American administration to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution.

The announcement came during a meeting between the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt and representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the Secretary General of the Arab League.

In a joint statement released following the meeting, the participating countries expressed their unwavering support for the resilience of the Palestinians and their adherence to their legitimate rights under international law.

They also reaffirmed their rejection of any infringement on the Palestinians’ inalienable rights.

This includes “settlement activities, eviction and home demolitions, land annexation, or the displacement and forced removal of Palestinians from their land in any form or under any circumstances,” read the statement.

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