Netanyahu says possible to 'broaden the circle of peace'

Jerusalem, Feb 2 (IANS) It is possible to strengthen security and expand peace, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday before departing for Washington, where he will negotiate the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

"I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace, and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength," he said before boarding his flight.

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss issues of Gaza, Israeli hostages, the Middle East, and the entire world, his office said in a statement as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Netanyahu said his meetings in the US capital "will deal with important, critical issues facing Israel and the region -- victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages, and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components, an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East, and the entire world".

Speaking before boarding the plane, he said the fact that he is the first foreign leader to meet Trump in the White House since the latter's inauguration is "a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It's also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship".

"The decisions we've made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East," Netanyahu declared alongside the state's official plane, Wing of Zion, which took him to Washington.

"Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further, and for the better."

Netanyahu was apparently referring to ties with Saudi Arabia.

Israel is pushing for the establishment of a negotiating team to hold talks on official relations with the Gulf state, the Kan public broadcaster reported on Saturday, adding that the Trump administration wants to achieve peace between Jerusalem and Riyadh as part of the US President's vision for a "Golden age of peace in the Middle East".

The move would expand on the Abraham Accords, through which Israel established relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco during Trump's first term in office. Saudi Arabia did not join the 2020 accords and has never recognised Israel.

Normalisation with Saudi Arabia has been all but shelved due to the war in Gaza as well as Riyadh's demands that Israel establishes a diplomatic horizon for a future Palestinian state.

The Israeli PM will also meet with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, to coordinate positions on the next phase of the ceasefire.

Witkoff will then talk with officials from Qatar and Egypt, who had mediated the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Israel and Hamas agreed on a three-phase ceasefire deal in January, under which Hamas has so far released 18 hostages and Israel has freed hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

According to Israeli figures, more than 70 hostages are still being held in Gaza.

--IANS

int/khz