As Netanyahu, Trump Meet for 7th Time on Iran and Gaza, White House Balances Deal Talk with Threats

JERUSALEM, Israel – Against the backdrop of U.S.-Iranian talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting President Trump today in Washington. It's the seventh time the two have met in the U.S. since Trump took office nearly 13 months ago.

Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu spoke with Trump's special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who represented the U.S. in last week's talks with Iran in Oman.

The three discussed "regional issues," according to a short statement from the Prime Minister's Office, and the envoys updated Netanyahu on the first round of negotiations with Iran.

Israel is skeptical about a deal with Iran. Reports indicate the Islamic regime could produce 2,000 ballistic missiles within weeks, and Israel wants military freedom to act whether or not a deal is reached. Still, Trump appears to be pushing for an agreement.

"As you know, we have a massive flotilla right now going over to Iran. We'll see what happens," Trump stated on Tuesday. "I think they want to make a deal. I think it'd be foolish if they didn't. We took out their nuclear power last time, and we'll have to see if we take out more this time."

In an interview with Fox Business, Trump acknowledged that not everyone believes that an agreement with Iran is such a good idea.

"A lot of people say no. And I would say that I'd rather make a deal. It's got to be a good deal. No nuclear weapons, no missiles, no this, no that, all the different things that you want. But some people worry that they've been very dishonest with us over the years, right? Very dishonest," the president said.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel contends that Trump is reshaping the global world order in the face of Islamist jihadi forces trying to take over the world. That adds to the weight of the Trump-Netanyahu talks.

She told CBN News, "And this meeting is vital and important in determining what is going to be the next step, so that good can defeat evil."

Haskel described it as a meeting between friends and allies with mutual interests and common values.

"I know President Trump truly understands our challenges and our needs and our security needs, understanding that they echo the needs of world security and the world's challenges with what we're facing," Haskel noted.

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Netanyahu is also expected to bring up the situation in Gaza at the White House. He will tell the president that phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire deal "is not moving," according to The Times of Israel.

The newspaper indicated that Israel is preparing plans for possible operations in Gaza to disarm Hamas by force. Now that all the living and dead hostages have been returned, Israel is determined to disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza before any rebuilding takes place, according to the report.

The New York Times reports the U.S. has planned for a "phased disarmament" of Hamas, leaving the terrorist organization with some small arms.

Haskel observed, "President Trump believes that through diplomatic pressure, we are capable of dismantling Hamas. I have my doubts about it. But I think he has done some incredible moves that people did not imagine he was capable of doing."

She believes Trump has leverage to pressure other players to force Hamas to disarm. However, the terror group, which has run Gaza since 2007, may not agree.

"It's pretty obvious for everybody that if they are unable to disarm Hamas through diplomatic pressure, then it will be Israel's job to go in and, through military means, to actually disarm Hamas," Haskel said.