Netanyahu’s Mar-a-Lago Gamble: Can Trump Tip the Scales on Gaza?
Inside the late-night Mar-a-Lago meeting where Netanyahu pressed Trump for concessions that could decide Gaza’s fate—and both leaders’ political futures.
The Florida Summit That Could Redraw Middle-East Maps
Palm Beach, Florida — The motorcade swept through the wrought-iron gates of Mar-a-Lago just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Israeli and American flags snapping in the humid Atlantic breeze. Inside the gilded living room, Donald Trump greeted Benjamin Netanyahu with the half-hug, half-handshake he reserves for old allies turned occasional rivals. Cameras clicked. Smiles flashed. Yet behind the bonhomie, both men arrived carrying baggage heavier than any Gulfstream could haul.
Why This Visit Matters Now
Netanyahu lands in Washington Wednesday for the final stretch of Gaza cease-fire negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar. The White House wants a deal before Ramadan; Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners threaten to collapse the government if he concedes "too much." Trump, meanwhile, needs a foreign-policy headline to counter Nikki Haley’s surge in early-state polls. Mar-a-Lago, once again, becomes the world’s most unconventional diplomatic back-channel.
"Bibi knows I like winners," Trump told donors at a closed-door luncheon, according to a recording obtained by this correspondent. "But winners also need exits."
The Ask, the Counter-Ask
Israeli officials say Netanyahu wants three things:
- U.S. acquiescence to a limited IDF presence along the Philadelphi corridor until 2027.
- A faster pathway for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords—something only a re-elected Trump, Riyadh believes, can fast-track.
- Silence from Trump if Israel resumes targeted killings of Hamas leaders in Doha.
In return, Trump’s team floated a bigger bargain: American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank after the U.S. election, contingent on Netanyahu keeping his coalition intact and delaying judicial-overhaul legislation that spurred months of domestic protest.
Ghost at the Table: Gaza’s Hostages
At least 130 Israeli and dual-national hostages remain in Gaza, including five American citizens. Their relatives gathered outside Mar-a-Lago, holding battery-lit posters that read "Deal NOW." One protester, Yael Alexander, 47, said she voted for Trump twice but now blames both leaders for "turning our children into poker chips."
What Happens Next
Netanyahu departs Florida with something Trump never gives freely: leverage. If cease-fire talks collapse, the Prime Minister can tell his right-wing partners he tried everything, even courting the man who once recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. If a deal is struck, he can claim Trump’s imprimatur shields him from political fallout. Either way, Mar-a-Lago’s chandeliers have witnessed another chapter in the transactional theatre that has come to define Middle-East diplomacy.