Report: Israeli Officials Concerned by Trump Desire to End Gaza Conflict

The Times of Israel reported Monday that two anonymous senior Israeli officials have expressed concern about the former President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the Gaza conflict to end. 

The officials described Israeli internal politics and hesitancy to work with the Palestinian Authority as potential causes of friction between a hypothetical second Trump administration and the Israeli government.

“There are internal political constraints to ending the war quickly,” a senior official in Israel’s security establishment said.

The second official, a lawmaker from the Israeli opposition, commented that a Trump–Netanyahu dispute over Gaza would present unique challenges to the Israeli premier. 

“A fight with Trump is something he hasn’t really had to deal with, and I think it’s something he’d want to avoid, but [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir may not let him,” the official said, referring to two hardline members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, one of whom recently called for Israel to settle Gaza.

The lawmaker commented that a similar dispute would still be likely should Harris win, although such a dispute with Harris could play to Netanyahu’s strengths. “Netanyahu has managed clashes with Democratic presidents without paying a heavy price. In fact, he campaigns on his ability to stand up to them,” the lawmaker said.

It is unclear how Trump will approach the war in Gaza should he win in November. Trump has stated that he encouraged Netanyahu during their July meeting to end the war in Gaza. “I did encourage him to get this [conflict] over with. You want to get it over with fast. Have victory, get your victory, and get it over with. It has to stop, the killing has to stop,” Trump told a rally in New Jersey in August, speaking about the meeting.

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