In asserting pressure, Trump has said that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel, although that is what Netanyahu and his ultra-right-wing cabinet members want. Trump prides himself on being a peace broker in Gaza and a peacemaker who stopped the war between Israel and Iran. The Gaza peace plan is now entering its second phase, which requires long-term structural changes and stability on the ground for meaningful reconstruction to begin. Further pressure has come with the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for war crimes committed in Gaza. More so when international journalists, so far blocked by Israel from entering Gaza and the West Bank, are expected to find their way to the frontline.

Source: The Edge Markets December 29, 2025 04:32 UTC