Netanyahu says U.S. and Israel working on plan to relocate Palestinians as ceasefire talks go on
Relocation idea was first raised by Trump earlier this year, drawing criticism from Gazans
U.S. President Donald Trump, hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, said the United States had scheduled talks with Iran and indicated progress on a controversial effort to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza.
Speaking to reporters at the beginning of a dinner between U.S. and Israeli officials, Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians a "better future," suggesting that the residents of Gaza could move to neighbouring nations.
"If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave," Netanyahu said.
"We're working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we're getting close to finding several countries."
Trump, who initially demurred to Netanyahu when asked about the relocating of Palestinians, said the countries around Israel were helping out. "We've had great co-operation from ... surrounding countries, great co-operation from every single one of them. So something good will happen," Trump said.
The president floated relocating Palestinians and taking over the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Gazans criticized the proposal and vowed never to leave their homes in the coastal enclave.
Trump and Netanyahu met in Washington while Israeli officials held indirect negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
It was Trump's third face-to-face encounter with Netanyahu since returning to office in January, and came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli airstrikes. Trump then helped arrange a ceasefire in the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
Trump said his administration would be meeting with Iran. "We have scheduled Iran talks, and they... want to talk," he said.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting would take place in the next week or so.
Trump also said he would like to lift sanctions on Iran at some point. "I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off," he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday that he believed Iran could resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue.
Nobel nomination
Trump and his aides appeared to be trying to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push both sides for a breakthrough in the 21-month Gaza war.
After arriving overnight in Washington, Netanyahu met earlier on Monday with Trump's Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in preparation for his talks with the president. He planned to visit the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to see congressional leaders.
During their meeting, Netanyahu gave Trump a letter that he said he had used to nominate the U.S. president for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump, appearing pleased by the gesture, thanked him.
Ahead of the visit, Netanyahu told reporters he would thank Trump for the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and said Israeli negotiators were driving for a deal on Gaza in Doha, Qatar's capital.
Israeli officials also hope the outcome of the conflict with Iran will pave the way for normalization of relations with more of its neighbours such as Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia, another issue expected to be on the agenda with Trump.
Gaps between 2 sides
Witkoff, who played a major role in crafting the 60-day ceasefire proposal at the centre of the Qatar negotiations, will travel to Doha this week to join discussions there, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
In a sign of continued gaps between the two sides, Palestinian sources said Israel's refusal to allow the free and safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains the main obstacle to progress in the indirect talks. Israel insists it is taking steps to get food into Gaza but seeks to prevent militants from diverting supplies.
On the second day of negotiations, mediators hosted one round and talks were expected to resume in the evening, the Palestinian sources told Reuters.
The U.S.-backed proposal envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the war entirely.
Hamas has long demanded a final end to the war before it would free remaining hostages; Israel has insisted it would not agree to halt fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas dismantled.
Some of Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners oppose halting military operations but, with Israelis having become increasingly weary of the Gaza war, his government is expected to back a ceasefire if he can secure acceptable terms. A ceasefire at the start of this year collapsed in March, and talks to revive it have so far been fruitless. Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and sharply restricted food distribution.
Gazans were watching closely for any sign of a breakthrough.
"I ask God almighty that the negotiating delegation or the mediators pressure with all their strength to solve this issue, because it has totally became unbearable," said Abu Suleiman Qadoum, a displaced resident of Gaza City.
The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.