In the hours after the U.S. delivered a massive precision strike on Iran, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a late-night call that could reshape the Middle East. According to a bombshell report by Yisrael Hayom, Trump and Netanyahu reached an understanding to bring the war in Gaza to a close within two weeks, install a coalition of Arab states to govern the Strip, exile Hamas leadership, release all remaining hostages, and jumpstart a historic expansion of the Abraham Accords. The report, citing a source familiar with the conversation, outlines a sweeping regional realignment with implications far beyond Gaza’s borders. The call, described by one Israeli official as “euphoric,” included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. The conversation reportedly took place late Monday night, just hours after U.S. strikes leveled critical nuclear infrastructure in Iran. Under the emerging blueprint, the Gaza Strip would be governed not by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, but by a multinational Arab coalition — including the UAE and Egypt. Hamas would be dismantled, its leadership exiled, and its military infrastructure dismantled under U.S.-backed Arab-Israeli coordination. In parallel, Gazan civilians who choose to emigrate would be welcomed by several unnamed countries, with quiet backing from Washington and Gulf capitals. The Trump-Netanyahu understanding also includes a landmark diplomatic cascade: Saudi Arabia and Syria would normalize ties with Israel, with additional Arab and Muslim nations expected to follow suit. In exchange, Israel would formally back a conditional path to Palestinian statehood — with Trump’s team privately describing it as a “long-term aspiration” tied to sweeping reforms by the Palestinian Authority. And in a move sure to inflame critics at home and abroad, Trump reportedly pledged to recognize Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, effectively greenlighting annexation in key strategic zones. The deal’s success, however, hinges on complex regional buy-in — and explosive political risks. The administration’s roadmap faces immediate and public resistance from several Arab governments. While Egypt, the UAE, and other U.S. allies have signaled willingness to help stabilize post-Hamas Gaza, they’ve drawn a hard line on one issue: no engagement without Palestinian Authority involvement and a clear path to a two-state solution. Netanyahu, for his part, has repeatedly rejected any PA return to Gaza — a stance that could complicate what Trump envisions as a historic breakthrough. There’s also the issue of Hamas itself. Despite battlefield losses, the terror group’s leadership has long vowed to remain in Gaza and rejected exile, making any plan to remove them dependent on Israeli military pressure or international guarantees they have little incentive to trust. Still, Israeli officials say the stars may be aligning. The joint U.S.-Israeli strike campaign against Iran, the mounting Arab fatigue with Hamas, and Trump’s full-throated reengagement in the region have created a rare moment of strategic leverage The heady vision for postwar Gaza may also explain Trump’s sudden, furious reaction to Israel’s legal system continuing to target Netanyahu. In a fiery post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump lashed out at Israel’s leadership and called on the Israeli justice system to “end the ridiculous witch hunt” against Netanyahu — a reference to the prime minister’s ongoing corruption trial. “Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote. “Or a pardon given to […]
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