Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Washington on Wednesday that he and US President Donald Trump share unanimity in efforts to secure a hostage deal but won’t agree to one at any price. “President Trump and I have a common goal. I want to achieve the release of our hostages. We want to end Hamas rule in Gaza. We want to make sure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel anymore,” Netanyahu told reporters at the Capitol before meeting with Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Netanyahu said he and Trump have the same strategy and tactics for securing a deal and that they don’t involve US pressure on Israel.
“President Trump wants a deal, but not at any price. I want a deal, but not at any price. Israel has security requirements and other requirements, and we’re working together to try to achieve it,” Netanyahu said.
On Tuesday, though, the US leaned on Israel to ease its stance regarding the partial withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza during the temporary truce under discussion, an Arab official told The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his meeting with President Trump focused on freeing hostages held in Gaza, as Israel continued to pound the Palestinian territory amid efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Netanyahu said on X that the leaders also discussed the consequences and possibilities of “the great victory we achieved over Iran”.
Netanyahu is making his third US visit since Trump took office on January 20 and had earlier told reporters that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are “certainly working” on a ceasefire.
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Israel not seeking to displace Gazans: Netanyahu
PM Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Israel is not seeking to displace Palestinians forcibly but would offer the opportunity to leave to those interested in leaving.
“We’re not pushing out anyone, and I don’t think that’s President Trump’s suggestion,” Netanyahu says in response to a question from a reporter at the Capitol.
When Trump introduced his plan to take over Gaza for the first time in February, he talked about permanently relocating the entire population. He has since distanced himself from such rhetoric and rarely speaks publicly of the plan.
However, Netanyahu has reportedly told Likud lawmakers that Israel is destroying every building in Gaza so that Palestinians have nowhere to go other than outside the Strip.
“It’s called the freedom of choice, and nothing more than that. No coercion, no forcible dislocation. If people want to leave Gaza, they should have the right to do so and not be held at the point of a gun by Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
