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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump and Netanyahu Speak Following Gaza Talks; Netanyahu Agrees to Trump's 20-Point Plan to End Israel's War on Gaza. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired September 29, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, we begin at the White House where any
moment now, we are expected to hear from U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following critical talks, of
course, on a proposed deal to end the war in Gaza.
The U.S. President is promising greatness, his words, and something special for Gaza. But Mr. Netanyahu clearly has some reservations. And while
expectations from the White House appear to be -- appear to be sky high, Hamas said Sunday, it had not been presented with the plan.
A source tells CNN, the Trump administration's 21-point proposal calls for a permanent ceasefire, and the release of all remaining hostages within a
48 hours of agreement, about 20 are believed to be alive. Also included, you see there on your screen would be a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops
from Gaza and a roadmap for Gaza's future.
Israel's far-right Finance Minister says any deal that includes future statehood for the Palestinians, or the involvement of the Palestinian
Authority, crosses a red line and is non-negotiable. A short time ago, we learned Mr. Netanyahu, while at the White House apologized to Qatar over
the Israeli strike, if you remember in Doha earlier this month.
We are continuing to monitor, of course, when that press conference does get underway, we will, of course, bring that to your attention. But in the
meantime, I'm joined now by CNN politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson, Gideon Levy, a columnist for "Haaretz", and a former adviser to Shimon
Peres.
And we can see the live images as we wait, of course, for this press conference to get started. Thank you, gentlemen, great to have you here.
Kevin, let me start with you. White House, as we were just saying there, raising the expectations that we are potentially on the brink of an end to
a war in Gaza. But this is a -- quite frankly, a tall mountain to climb. And we have been here many times. Kevin.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, absolutely. And I think the fact that they scheduled this press conference at all gives you a
sense that, in their view, they will have something to announce once this meeting in the Oval Office concludes. But beyond that, you know, we aren't
exactly sure that Netanyahu is going to come out and say, yes, I've signed on the dotted line.
You know, often times, these meetings at the White House are somewhat rote affairs. You kind of know exactly what the leaders are going to say when
they come out to the podium. But this is sort of anything but that. What we have heard from the President over the last several days is a degree of
optimism that this deal is at hand, that all sides will agree to it, and that he will finally have ended the war in Gaza.
I think in a lot of ways, though, that, that was an effort to kind of front-run the Israelis and apply even more pressure even before Netanyahu
showed up here at the White House to get him to agree to it. Now, what is happening inside the Oval Office today is somewhat extraordinary. The
President seems to have coordinated this three-way phone call between himself, Netanyahu and the Prime Minister of Qatar in order to get
Netanyahu to apologize for the death of a Qatari serviceman in those Israeli strikes on Hamas leaders earlier this month.
We just got a readout of that phone call from the White House, and they say that Netanyahu who, quote, "expressed his deep regret that those strikes
unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman". And the White House readout goes on to say that Netanyahu expressed regret that in targeting Hamas
leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the
future.
And the last part is pretty critical, because Netanyahu, until now, has not ruled out continuing to go after Hamas leadership essentially, wherever he
may find them. And so, that will be a significant step. The Qataris have been kind of waiting for this so that they could continue this mediating
role that they've had with Hamas in trying to strike some sort of deal.
And so, what these two men announce when they come out today, still remains to be seen. But it does seem as if this phone call and this apology could
potentially be going quite a distance and trying to get this over the finish line, because of course, in addition to the Israelis, we also
haven't received any word that Hamas is ready to sign on to this.
As of yesterday, they said that they had not seen this 21-point plan, and that they couldn't agree to it, of course, before they had seen it.
[14:05:00]
So, I think a lot at stake as these two men are meeting the press conference right now, is about 45 minutes late from its original starting
time, which I think gives you a sense that there is a lot of discussion going on between these two men as President Trump tries to apply as much
pressure as he can to try and get Netanyahu to agree.
SOARES: I agree. Thank you very much, Kevin, let me go to Gideon. And Gideon, you and I have spoken about many possible plans that have never
really crossed the line here. So, I really want to get your sense of whether you are confident about this plan, because quite honestly, we are
very scant on details here. But are you confident that President Trump can get this through, you know, over the line?
GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ: Unfortunately, Isa, we are repeating ourselves also tonight. I have no doubt that the two leaders will come out
with a big smile on their face and bombastic declarations about a breakthrough, about peace in the horizon, about ending the war or releasing
the hostages. I have no doubt about this, because Netanyahu is not in a position to say no to any of the President's requests.
But the question is, will all those beautiful words be ever implemented? Will Hamas release all the hostages without 48 hours, without having
anything in their hands? I mean, that's a total suicidal act. I mean, that's a total surrender of Hamas, maybe they are so weak that they have no
other choice. Maybe Qatar will push them to the corner and they will not have any other choice.
But after this step, which is very meaningful, are coming all the big questions. Who is going to run Gaza? Tony Blair will run 2.3 starving
people, really, 2.3 million starving people, really? Israel will pull out its troops. Can you see it happening, Isa, that all of a sudden, Israel
will go out from Gaza without, you know, having any clue what will be in Gaza, who is going to rehabilitate? Who is going to run?
Who is going to govern, the PA will be in it or not? All those are heavy questions which I can see can be answered as long as Netanyahu is the Prime
Minister.
SOARES: Yes --
LEVY: And last word about the apologize, I'm very happy he apologized for the -- in front of the Emir of Qatar. Israel violated the sovereignty of
Qatar. The great moment will be when Prime Minister Netanyahu will apologize in front of the Palestinian people of Gaza for the genocide and
the mass killing.
SOARES: Yes, and Stephen, let me bring Stephen into the conversation, just picking up what Gideon said, you know, there are so many questions about
how this would work because, as you know, Gideon was pointing out there, requires governance, it requires a security plan. And we have no detail in
terms of a timeline here. But we did know that the President has been speaking -- we spoke, I think it was last week with Arab and gulf leaders.
What more then, do we have about this 21-month plan? Because clearly, as we've been hearing, Hamas is -- hasn't been part of this. So, if you're
Hamas, why would you sign up to this? Given of course, the conversations we have had -- we have heard from them with our correspondent Jeremy Diamond
just last week.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, exactly, I think the problem is that this administration only has one political play when it
comes to peacemaking. And this is the same on Ukraine as it is in the Middle East. It's to announce an ambitious plan, call it a massive
breakthrough, and therefore hope to bounce the parties into accepting it.
The problem is that, this often doesn't take into consideration the political needs of any of the parties on the ground. It doesn't seem that
Hamas even knows what's in this plan. We've already had elements of Netanyahu's right-wing coalition coming out today and saying that a number
of these things, which we believe to be in the plan, including a potential path towards a Palestinian state, however long that might be, that is
unacceptable.
So, that imposes great pressure on Netanyahu. And then even if the parties did agree to it, started to implement it, there's not much in the history
of the Trump administration in his second term that suggests that the administration knows how to follow-through, to build confidence, to get to
next steps. It always gets to the first step as it does in Ukraine.
[14:10:00]
And then it all falls apart. And I think one of the reasons for that is, although President Trump is very keen to impose his power and his
personality domestically, he's been strangely passive in using America's leverage on both Russia and Israel to try to force them into concessions
that he sees as important for American national interests in the Middle East and Russia.
So, unless the President comes out and they agree, and then Netanyahu goes home and Trump uses what I think is even more leverage on Netanyahu than he
had before, given the increasing isolation of Israel, I doubt this is going to go very far.
SOARES: And you were talking there about far-right voices within the party, Bezalel Smotrich tweeted this, I'm just going to read it out, "here
will be no involvement of the Palestinian Authority" -- that's "PA in Gaza, neither today nor in the future, neither explicitly nor implicitly." This
is what he wrote on X on Monday.
He went on to say, "there will be no mention, even implicitly of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel's existence. The idea of a
Palestinian state must be taken off the table permanently." So, Gideon, I mean, just talk us through then how this would play out domestically for
Netanyahu, because coalition members have threatened to collapse the government, as we know, if the war comes to an end before Hamas is
eradicated.
They are also pushing a call for a full takeover of Gaza and Israeli sovereignty over much, or indeed all of the occupied West Bank. Does this
then put Netanyahu in a bit of a pickle?
LEVY: Netanyahu is a master in spinning the circle. I'm not sure he will succeed this time. First of all, it's unprecedented that a senior minister
is criticizing the Prime Minister in the middle of a meeting at top important meeting with the American President before the details are clear.
Already, he starts with his blackmail campaign.
And you know what? Netanyahu has to choose now between Smotrich and Donald Trump. And I think he has no other choice to choose, but to choose Donald
Trump, because Israel cannot go on -- and Netanyahu cannot continue without Donald Trump, because that's the last source of -- the last friend of
Israel on earth right now, and the last source of support.
Israel is so isolated, so dependent on the United States, so dependent on the Republicans in the -- in the United States, that what choice does he
have? And then he will come home and try to spin the circle, and if not, he will go to elections. I think if he ends now, the war -- brings the
hostages back, he's quite in a good position to go for elections, then it's less frightening for him. So, even if Smotrich will leave him now, if this
will be the price to really bring some kind of --
SOARES: Yes --
LEVY: Real achievements, he will go for it.
SOARES: OK, on that point, then, Gideon, what would then be a win for Netanyahu here?
LEVY: It's definitely the hostages. If he returns the hostages, he becomes again a hero in Israel. And part of the people will forgive him for
everything, not all of them, obviously, many of them will not. But there --
SOARES: Yes --
LEVY: Will be a part who will say he brought us back the hostages. That's right. Now, the strongest sentiment Israeli society, it's almost the only
uniting sentiment in Israel, and if he -- if he brings them back, he can run for elections.
SOARES: Yes, and we have seen over the last weeks, months, how many families have taken to the streets protesting, of course, for their loved
ones to be prioritized? That has been very clear across Israel. Stephen, let me go to you. One thing that we haven't discussed here is the West Bank
annexation.
President Trump very clearly said on camera that he's ruling out -- ruling out annexation, saying this is a red line, seems also for Arab states. How
much then of an obstacle, and we don't have the details in terms of this conversation. So, it will be interesting to see when they do come out. And
we hear from both leaders what exactly they'll -- what can -- what they will say -- exactly they will say on this.
But how much of an obstacle would this be from Prime Minister Netanyahu, of course, whose, you know, far-right members of his party are very much for
annexation, I'm thinking of Smotrich here, among many of them.
COLLINSON: Well, it would in theory, it would be a great obstacle if the President reinforces --
SOARES: Yes --
COLLINSON: That obstacle and prevents it from happening. Obviously, the administration had a great deal from the Arab states last week at the
United Nations, that this would be perhaps a terminal act for the administration's hopes of widening the Abraham Accords between Israel and
certain Arab states during Donald Trump's second term.
[14:15:00]
That is a very important priority for the President. So, if he were to stand by that assertion, it would be very interesting to see what had
happened. At the same time, there have been occasions when the Israelis have acted, including on that raid in Qatar when it looks like they are
betting that there won't be a price to pay for the Americans for acting in a way that seems to inflict on U.S. national interests.
So, I think the call between Netanyahu and the Qataris was interesting. Obviously, this is a sign of the administration effectively using power.
That said, you know, we've only heard about it from the White House's point of view. This is an administration that it's usually best to wait until all
sides of a story come out before you know, exactly what's going on.
But it's significant, I think that Netanyahu used the words regret. That's a well-known diplomatic device where you can imply that you apologized for
someone -- to someone who wants an apology, but you don't actually use the word, and then you can go back to your people and say, well, I didn't
apologize, I expressed regret.
So, there's some diplomatic niceties going on there, but it does show -- and this hasn't happened an awful lot in this conflict, at least, that the
administration has effectively used Trump's power to get something that it wants, whether it can build upon that and move ahead is another question.
SOARES: Yes, Stephen, Gideon, do stay with us, we're keeping an eye, of course, on the live images coming to us from the White House. As you can
see, they are delayed. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, read it as you will, or a bad thing, but at least, they are talking, which is an important
conversation that needs to be had.
We'll keep -- we'll keep, of course, our eye on those live images as soon as it gets underway. We will, of course, as you see live images coming to
us at the podium there, bring them to you. It's starting -- the room starting to fill up, but still, I don't believe we're anywhere close. But
of course, once it gets underway, we will go to you.
I know that Stephen and Gideon will stay with us for when it does, of course, both leaders, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu approach
that podium. And we're a world away from those talks in Washington. The reality for Palestinians on the ground in Gaza is dire as you all know.
Health officials there say dozens of people were killed over the weekend as Israeli intensified the strikes.
Volunteers from the Global Sumud Flotilla are trying to get aid into the besieged enclave. The flotilla consists of civilian boats carrying
parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Tracking sites show the flotilla could be just
days away from reaching the Gaza coastline.
Our Ben Wedeman spoke with Thunberg who clapped back after Israel called it publicity stunt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ships, more than 40, are heading east across the Mediterranean toward Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our mission is to break the illegal Israeli siege and create a people's humanitarian corridor.
WEDEMAN: This is the so-called Global Sumud Flotilla. Sumud is Arabic for steadfastness, composed of hundreds of activists from Europe, the Middle
East and beyond. It may look idyllic, but it's a perilous journey. In 2010, Israeli commandos assaulted a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, as it
approached Gaza, killing ten volunteers.
The last attempt to break the blockade in June saw Israeli troops yet again board a ship, the Madleen, detaining passengers and crew. Swedish activist
Greta Thunberg was among them, and is back trying to reach Gaza again.
GRETA THUNBERG, ACTIVIST: We are doing this because our governments and elected officials are failing to step up. The U.N. Commission has now also
confirmed that this is a genocide going on in Gaza, and that means that under international law, states have a legal obligation to act to stop that
genocide from happening and ending their complicity, ending arms transfers and applying a real pressure.
WEDEMAN: The activists say Israeli drones have already targeted the flotilla several times. Israeli officials declined to comment on the
incidents. Italy and Spain have sent Navy ships to accompany the flotilla in international waters, and the Italian government has appealed to the
activists to stop short of Gaza to unload their cargo in Cyprus and allow Israel or the Catholic Church to take it in. The activists refused. It
comes at a time when worldwide protests against Israel's war in Gaza are multiplying.
[14:20:00]
Here in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets angry at governments that wring their hands over the war in
Gaza, but then do little in practical terms to stop it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Free Palestine!
WEDEMAN: Israel claims the flotilla is a publicity stunt that only serves Hamas. Thunberg told us they come in peace.
THUNBERG: We pose no threats. We are not carrying weapons. We are carrying food, medical supplies, baby formula, diapers, sanitary products for the
people of Gaza who are being systematically starved and bombed by Israel with the help from the outside world.
WEDEMAN: The flotilla is expected to enter Gaza's territorial waters within the coming days. The chances it reaches its destination unmolested
are slim. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, amid his high stakes talks with the Israeli Prime Minister, Donald Trump is also preparing for tense discussions with congressional
leaders. Details ahead on the looming government shutdown and an update on what federal officials are finding at the scene of a U.S. Church attack
that left worshipers dead and a chapel on fire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Let me show you the live images coming to us from the White House where any moment now, we are expected to see U.S. President Donald Trump
meeting, of course, with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Cameras have been set, senior members of President Trump's team already sitting in that front row.
And it follows, of course, critical talks on a proposed deal to end the war in Gaza. The U.S. President putting on Truth Social that has been promising
greatness, expectations are high, of course, he's also promising something special for Gaza. But what we've been hearing from many of our sources is
that Prime Minister Netanyahu has had reservations.
Now, the Trump administration -- and this is something we've gleamed in the last few days, has proposed a 21-point peace plan for Gaza. As part of that
peace plan, calls for all hostages to -- that are being held by Hamas to be released within 48 hours of an agreement, and then sets out a roadmap for
Gaza once the war ends.
[14:25:00]
Now, we are very -- we have very little details and details here are fundamental, are incredibly important. But President Trump is voicing
optimism. So, we are watching to see at this press conference exactly where Prime Minister Netanyahu stands, because we have been hearing from more
vocal members of his right -- far-right party, I'm thinking here, Bezalel Smotrich, who has said today on X exactly as the Prime Minister Netanyahu
was meeting President Trump, he has said there will be no involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, neither today nor in the future, neither
explicitly or implicitly.
He then -- Smotrich, that is, went on to say, there will be no mention, even implicitly, of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel's
existence. And of course, it would be interested to see how much -- how far these two leaders have gotten, how far the needle has moved. And I want to
bring in Stephen Collinson.
And Stephen, apologies, if I have to interrupt because it does seem like we are getting close. But President Trump clearly optimistic, clearly wanting
a deal here. This is, I think, the fourth time both are meeting. But it doesn't seem, at least from what we heard thus far today, that it has moved
so much from Netanyahu's side.
COLLINSON: Yes, that's right. And I think the question is, does the administration simply believe that Netanyahu is going to put his own
politics aside to accommodate the President? President Trump portrays himself as this great peacemaker. He claims to have ended seven wars
already during his tenure. Many of those claims are rather specious, and some of those countries weren't even, in fact, at war when he forged
agreements between them.
But the two big ones that he really came to office pledging to solve and arguing that the force of his personality would be decisive in solving were
the wars in Gaza and in Ukraine. And he really hasn't got very far on either of them. In fact, you could argue that both wars are actually in a
worse situation, and more bloody eight months after Trump took office than they were when he returned to the White House.
So, he has obviously huge, personal political stakes in, first of all, getting Netanyahu to come out and seem favorable to this peace proposal,
the latest one from the United States --
SOARES: Stephen, apologies to interrupt --
COLLINSON: And he has --
SOARES: I'm going to interject, Stephen, because both leaders have taken to the podium. Let's listen in.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much everybody. So, this is a big day, a beautiful day potentially, one of the
great days ever in civilization. Things that have been going on for hundreds of years and thousands of years, we're going to -- or at least,
we're at a minimum very close, and I think we'll be on very close.
And I want to thank Bibi for really getting in there and doing a job. We've worked well together, as we have with many other countries, both of us with
many other countries, which is the only way this whole situation gets solved. And I'm not just talking about Gaza, Gaza is one thing, but we're
talking about much beyond Gaza and the whole deal, everything getting solved.
It's called peace in the Middle East. So, today is a historic day for peace, and Prime Minister Netanyahu and I have just concluded an important
meeting on many vital issues, including Iran, trade, the expansion of the Abraham Accords and most importantly, we discussed how to end the war in
Gaza. But it's just a part of the bigger picture, which is peace in the Middle East.
And let's call it eternal peace in the Middle East. So, this is a far more than anybody expected. But the level of support that I've had from the
nations in the Middle East and surrounding Israel and neighbors of Israel has been incredible. Every single one of them. This afternoon, after
extensive consultation with our friends and partners throughout the region, I'm formally releasing our principles for peace, which people have really
liked, I must say, and these are done not just routinely done.
These are done with total and total consideration and working with the nations that we're talking about. All these nations have made contributions
to those suggestions. I want to thank the leaders of many Arab and Muslim nations for their tremendous support in developing the proposal, along with
many of our allies in Europe.
But Europe has been very much involved, and as I was called by many of the European leaders, most of them saying, is this true? Are you really doing
peace in the Middle East? This is the most incredible thing we've heard. Some think it's the biggest thing they've ever heard. They called just to
find out was it just a rumor or is it actually done? And then they said, have you spoken to the Arab leaders? Have you spoken to the -- all of the
other leaders that we have to get? A lot of people involved in this one.
I also want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to the plan and for trusting that if we work together, we can bring an end to the death and
destruction that we've seen for so many years, decades, even centuries, and begin a new chapter of security, peace, and prosperity for the entire
region.
And I want to just say that my meetings and dialogue that we had with so many countries, Saudi Arabia is an example. The King is a phenomenal
person. The Emir of Qatar, who's -- he's an -- incredible people. UAE, and that's MBZ and ABZ, totally involved. These are the people that we've been
dealing with and who've been actually very much involved in this negotiation, giving us ideas, things they can live with, things they can't
live with. It's pretty complex.
I mean, after 2,000, 3,000 years, whatever it is, I guess it's got to be a little complex, or it would have been done a long time ago.
The King of Jordan was with us, as you know, in the United Nations. President of Turkey, President Erdogan is a friend of mine. A strong man,
but a good man. President of Indonesia, somebody who's an amazing leader, Prabowo. He is an amazing leader and respected by everybody. He was in the
room with us. We were together with most of these people that I'm mentioning. Others were by phone or the next day.
The prime minister and the field marshal of Pakistan, they were with us right from the beginning. Incredible. In fact, they just put out a
statement that they fully believe in this pact. It just came out just as I was walking around. They said, sir, you have a big notice from the prime
minister of Pakistan and from the field marshal that they back this 100 percent. And President el-Sisi of Egypt, who's terrific.
And these are people I've gotten to know over the years. I mean, it's -- I would say, it started around 2015 and then went into 2016 when the
presidency began, officially began. But I've known him actually for a long time. And there are many cases, really great men.
I can't say in all cases, but I will tell you, in many cases, they're great men and some great women, too. They tend to be mostly men, however. I will
say that.
But if accepted by Hamas, this proposal calls for the release of all remaining hostages immediately, but in no case more than 72 hours. So, the
hostages are coming back. And I hate even saying this from the standpoint, doesn't sound right, but it is so important to the parents.
The bodies of the young men, I believe in almost all cases, the young men are coming back immediately. I met with parents. Their parents felt as
strongly about getting their -- the body of their dead boy back as they did as though the boy were alive and well. It's so important to them. And it
means the immediate end to the war itself, not just Gaza. It's the war itself.
Under the plan, Arab and Muslim countries have committed, and in writing in many cases, but I actually would take their word for it. The people I
mentioned, I'd take their word for it, to demilitarize Gaza, and that's quickly. Decommission the military capabilities of Hamas and all other
terror organizations. Do that immediately. And we're relying on the countries that I named and others to deal with Hamas. And I'm hearing that
Hamas wants to get this done too. And that's a good thing. And destroy all terror infrastructure, including the tunnels, weapons of production
facilities.
They have a lot of production facilities that we're destroying. They'll also help train local police forces in the areas that we're discussing
right now, in particular, in and around Gaza. Working with the new transitional authority in Gaza, all parties will agree on a timeline for
Israeli forces to withdraw in phases. They'll be withdrawing in phases. No more shooting, hopefully, as progress is made toward achieving these goals.
[14:35:00]
Arab and Muslim nations need to be allowed the chance to fulfill these commitments of dealing with Hamas. They have to deal with them because they
were the one group that we have not dealt with. I haven't dealt with them. But the Arab countries are going to -- and Muslim countries are going to be
dealing with Hamas. And I believe they've already been there. I think they probably have an understanding. And they haven't maybe mentioned that, but
I would imagine they do. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone as far as they've gone.
If they're unable to do so, then Israel would have the absolute right, and actually our full backing, the U.S. full backing. Marco is here, and a lot
of our leaders are here. Our great vice president, Susie Wiles, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner. They've been so involved in this process. I don't
think anybody else could have done it or even come close. But it's -- we're right there. We're right there.
First time in thousands of years, I think you can probably say, if you really look into it. If you study back, if you're a scholar, you would say
thousands of years. Israel would have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas. But I hope that we're going to have a deal
for peace. And if Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible, they're the only one left, everyone else has accepted it, but I have a feeling that
we're going to have a positive answer. But if not, as you know, Bibi, you'd have our full backing to do what you would have to do.
Everyone understands that the ultimate result must be the elimination of any danger posed in the region. And the danger is caused by Hamas. The
tyranny of terror has to end. And this is, again, something that we're looking for. This is eternity. This is forever.
To ensure the success of this effort, my plan calls for the creation of a new international oversight body, the Board of Peace, we call it. The Board
of Peace. Sort of a beautiful name. The Board of Peace, which will be headed -- not at my request, believe me. I'm very busy. But we have to make
sure this works. The leaders of the Arab world and Israel and everybody involved asked me to do this.
So, it will be headed by a gentleman known as President Donald J. Trump of the United States. That's what I want is some extra work to do. But it's so
important that I'm willing to do it. And we'll do it right. And we're going to put leaders from other countries on, and leaders that are very
distinguished leaders. And we'll have a board. And one of the people that wants to be on the board is the U.K. former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Good
man. Very good man, and some others. And they'll be named over the next few days. And it'll be quite the board. Working -- everybody wants to be on it
now. I don't know if that had anything to do -- they named me, and everybody else wanted to be on it. I guess they figured, well, he's a soft
touch. He'll be easy to deal with.
Working with the World Bank and others, it'll be responsible for recruiting and training a new government that will be made up of Palestinians, along
with highly qualified experts from all around the world. Hamas and other terrorist factions will play no role in the board, but they'll play no role
in the governance of Gaza at all, directly or indirectly. As you know, thousands of Hamas leaders have been killed, and soldiers have been killed.
And we can never forget October 7th. But thousands have paid the price for that. And now, it's time to get our hostages back and get back to trying to
build something that's really great and very important.
In our meeting today, Prime Minister Netanyahu was very clear about his opposition to a Palestinian State. And he continuously mentions October
7th, and I understand that. Most people do. And I understand and respect his position on many things. But what he's doing today is so good for
Israel. I noticed that they have large crowds gathering in Israel all the time. And they have my name up. They like me for whatever reason. Maybe I
don't know, but they do like me.
[14:40:00]
But they say two things. Please get the hostages back, and please end the war. They've had it. It's had it. So, I think it's a very popular thing you
do, because he's a warrior. He doesn't know about getting back to a normal way of life. But he is a warrior, and Israel is lucky to have him. But now
the people want to get back to peace. They want to get back to normalization, in a true sense.
Several countries have foolishly recognized the Palestinian State. As you know, some of our European friends, allies, good people. But they're
really, I think, doing that because they're very tired of what's going on for so many decades. They've been presidents and prime ministers for years,
and during this time, having to do with the Middle East, all they're doing is talking about the same thing over and over. They want to see it get
back. And nobody wants that more than me or, I believe, Bibi, too.
But the people of Israel want it. They really want it. They want the hostages back. That includes the probably 32 bodies that we're talking
about, 20 people that are living, 32 or so people that are dead. And they want to have peace. So, let us not forget how we got here.
Hamas was elected by the Palestinian people. Israel withdrew from Gaza, thinking they would live in peace. Remember that? A long time ago, they
withdrew. They said, you take it. This is our contribution to peace. But that didn't work out.
That didn't work out. It was the opposite of peace. They pulled away. They let them have it. And I never forgot that because I said, that doesn't
sound like a good deal to me. As a real estate person, I mean, they gave up the ocean, right? Ron, they gave up the ocean. They said, who would do this
deal? And it still didn't work out. They were very generous, actually. And they gave up the most magnificent piece of land, in many ways, in the
Middle East. And they said, all we want to do now is have peace. And that was -- that request was not honored.
Instead of building a better life for the Palestinians, Hamas diverted resources to build over 400 miles of tunnels and terror infrastructure,
rocket production facilities, and hid their military command posts and launch sites in hospitals, schools, and mosques. So, if you went after
them, you'd be after them and you wouldn't even realize you ended up knocking out a hospital or a school or a mosque. That terrible thing.
Terrible, terrible way to have to fight. No fight is good, but that's a real bad one.
So, there are many Palestinians who wish to live in peace. Many, many, many. I've seen so many of them. And they have support. And I challenge the
Palestinians to take responsibility for their destiny, because that's what we're giving them. We're giving them responsibility for their destiny --
fully condemn and prohibit terrorism and earn their way to a brighter future. They don't want the life that they've had. They've had a rough life
with Hamas.
If the Palestinian Authority does not complete the reforms that I laid out in my vision for peace in 2020, they'll have only themselves to blame.
We're giving them an amazing footprint, and they have amazing support from the leaders of the Arab world and the Muslim world. They're great, great
leaders. These are great leaders. These are unbelievable leaders that have built great countries and very wealthy countries.
What the future holds for the Palestinians, no one really knows. But the plan that we put forward today is focused on ending the war immediately,
getting all of our hostages back, getting everything back. Hard to believe when you even say it. And creating conditions for durable Israeli security
and Palestinian success. Israeli security is going to be involved. We're going to help you. We'll be there with you.
In terms of helping with security, we want to make sure it works. We just want to make sure it works. There shouldn't be a shot fired. Now, there
will be, I guess, because that's the way it seems to be. But they shouldn't have to be within a few days. They shouldn't have to be a shot fired. It
may be for eternity. Wouldn't that be nice? I hope it's true. I can tell you the leadership of that region feels that there's a good chance of it
being true. So, this will lead to a -- this agreement that we're talking about will lead to a sustainable, long-term peace.
No president in history has been a greater friend of the State of Israel than I have, in addition to negotiating the Abraham Accords. I like to say
it that way because the real people, that's what they call, Abraham. I would say Abraham. But it's so much nicer when you say Abraham. So, much
more elegant. But the Abraham Accords are amazing.
[14:45:00]
Jared, you did that along with your group of geniuses. And nobody thought that could be done. We have four countries. And sleepy Joe Biden didn't do
a thing. He didn't even know what the hell they were. He should have had them filled up. But I think this will also lead to packing them. And who
knows, maybe even Iran can get in there. I hope. We expect -- we hope we're going to be able to get along with Iran. I think they're going to be open
to it. I really believe that. But they could be a member.
I long ago said, I'll bet you, at some point, Iran will be a member of the Accords. And little did I realize it was going to take this turn. That was
some turn we did with the B-2s. But I think they might very well be there, because it's a great thing for them economically.
I recognize the eternal capital of Israel. I opened the American embassy in Jerusalem. That was something that everyone said would never be done, could
never be done. Every -- virtually every [resident for many, many years, for decades, would campaign on making Jerusalem the capital of Israel. They'd
campaigned. They campaigned on it over and over. Is that right, Steve? Is that right? Everyone. And when they got to it -- and I understand why now,
because it was so -- when I got to office, I campaigned on it too. I said, we're going to make it. And then I'd get calls from the leaders of various
countries saying, please don't do it. Please don't do it. It'll end the whole world. Please don't do it.
And finally, I just didn't say anything, and I did it. People were calling me before I did it because they heard I was going to do it. And leaders of
countries were calling me. And I think it was on a Thursday that I did it. And they'd call me Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, three, four times a day. And
I said, tell them I'll call them back on Friday. And I announced it on Thursday. And I called them back, the biggest people in the world, and they
said, you've done it. I said, done what? You've made the capital of Israel Jerusalem, and we wanted to talk -- oh, I wish you'd called me a little
sooner. Maybe I could have done something about it.
So, that was a lot easier than getting into an argument, because I knew what they were calling about. And you know what? It turned out to be
amazing. Everybody thought it was going to lead to the end of the world, right? The end of the world, Ron. That's what they said. It didn't lead to
anything. It just led to something that I promised and something that was very, very popular for Jewish people and a lot of other people, too.
I recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and I cut taxpayer funding to the corrupt United Nations Relief and Works Agency and United
Nations was interesting because, as you know, a few days ago, they introduced me. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States,
I'm looking at my teleprompter, and the thing was dead, stone cold dead. The thing's up here. I have a long, beautiful speech to make.
I'm back, 30 feet back. And I'm saying -- they're introducing me. There's nothing on my teleprompter. So, -- but I made a speech. I actually got good
marks. You think Biden could have done that? I don't think so. I don't think he could have done that. I don't think too many people could have
done it.
But actually, it was actually more of a speech from my heart, if you want to know the truth. I think it was maybe better in certain ways because it
was from the heart. It has to be from the heart. Otherwise, you're in big trouble.
But I cut taxpayer funding for that very corrupt United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and nobody thought that would be done, and withdrew from the
horrible Iran nuclear deal that was imposed upon Israel by Barack Hussein Obama and Biden. And I don't think Biden knew anything about it, though. I
don't think he knows anything about it now, actually, if you ask him. He'll say, what is that?
And we obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, making it impossible for them to have a nuclear weapon, which they would have had probably in
about two months from then. But I've never asked Israel to compromise its security. But we had a big, strong talk. Nobody has been better to Israel.
No President has been better to Israel than Donald Trump.
But we had a long, strong talk, Bibi and I. And he understands it's time. It's time. History has shown. And the people of Israel want it. And the
people of the Middle East want it. The people of -- enemies of Israel want it, but they don't have really too many enemies right now.
[14:50:00]
And you know what, many countries have gained great respect for Israel for the way they fight, for the job they do, including me. I had respect
anyway, but they gained respect. History has shown us that those who have relations with Israel have thrived, while those who have devoted resources
and attention toward the destruction and even annihilation of Israel have languished. They haven't done well.
Israel is not going anywhere. They're going to coexist with other people and countries in the region, from Syria to Lebanon to Saudi Arabia. The
promise of a new Middle East is so clearly within our reach. This is the closest we've ever come to real peace, not fake peace, not political fool's
peace. If we can get this difficult problem solved, the opportunities for all within that vast region of this world. It's a vast region. It's
unlimited.
The Abraham Accords show that all countries are better off when they communicate and work together and embrace new opportunities. I hope Jared
and Steve and Susie and Marco and J.D., we have great people. I hope you guys are going to work very hard to get these other countries in because
now they have no excuse. There's no longer an excuse. They were somewhere, hasn't it? And I'll tell you, the four countries that went in, I give them
tremendous credit, and it's worked out incredibly well for them.
In the same spirit, I'm pleased to report that earlier today, we took another important step toward greater understanding of the region. A short
time ago, we had a historic phone call in the Oval Office with Prime Minister Thani, who's really a great, great person. So, we had a great
talk, and I was on the phone, and Bibi was talking.
Prime Minister Al Thani was -- of Qatar, was -- they really had a heart-to- heart conversation. It was a great conversation, I thought. It was productive. It was everything that you need to have something turn out to
be successful. And I want to thank Bibi, and I want to thank the prime minister. It was fantastic.
We agreed to launch a formal trilateral mechanism between Israel, Qatar, and the United States to begin a dialogue to enhance mutual security,
correct misperceptions, and avoid future misgivings. And I want to thank Qatar, its leadership, and the Amir. He's a fantastic person. I think, you
know, I'm going to be his public relations man because I know him differently than a lot of people know him. But he wants peace. He wants to
see peace.
And his people, and they really acknowledge the critical role that they've played as mediator. And again, we're not quite finished. We have to get
Hamas, but I think they're going to be able to do that. So, now it's time for Hamas to accept the terms of the plan that we've put forward today. And
again, this is a different Hamas than we were dealing with because I guess over 20,000 have been killed. Their leadership has been killed three times
over. So, you're really dealing with different people than we've been dealing with over the last four years, five years.
Everyone has done their part and come to the table in good faith. Our Arab and Muslim partners are fully prepared to step up and fulfill their
commitments for the benefit of the people of Gaza and the entire region. They're willing to step up and do a lot. They really are. There are a lot
of good people involved.
Everyone who wants to see -- everybody who wants to see an end to the violence and destruction should be united in calling for Hamas to accept
the extremely fair proposal so that we can end the war and get us back our hostages right now and have everlasting peace. And I look forward to having
relationships with everyone.
As the chairman of the board, I'll be involved and we'll have meetings with some very smart people that will be working over there to make sure that we
haven't just been wasting time with an agreement that doesn't get done. The task of building peace will not be easy. There are some of the hardest
problems in the world to solve, and that's why it's been going on for so many centuries. But too many lives are at stake not to try, and this is
more than a try.
I mean, I think this is something that gets done when you have every -- virtually every country. And these are powerful, powerful countries that
have a lot of money, and the money can make things happen. A lot of countries try and they don't have any money. These are very rich countries
that can make things happen.
So, together, we'll forge a much safer and more hopeful future for everybody, including Israel. And I want to thank Prime Minister Netanyahu
for his partnership.
[14:55:00]
And I want to thank all of the leaders -- the kings and the emirs and the presidents and prime ministers, people I mentioned. And they've been
absolutely fantastic to work with, and it's just happened very quickly. It's happened from a couple of weeks before the -- I had a meeting -- a
couple of meetings, but a couple of weeks before we went to the United Nations. And we had some just -- we had some incredible meetings. It all
came to place. It all took place, and everybody wanted to be a part of it. I don't have anybody that's saying, we don't want anything to do with it.
It's just the opposite.
And I'll tell you, a couple of years ago, a year ago, I don't think we would have had this kind of participation, Mr. VP, right? I don't think we
would have had. It's been amazing. The participation was 100 percent. Everybody wants to be a part of it. And everybody -- those very strong
countries, everybody wants it to work.
So, Bibi, congratulations on this. This is -- I think this will be your crowning achievement, frankly. If this all works out, we think it will.
It's going to be your crowning achievement. And I want to thank you very much for being here. Thank you. Please.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Thank you. Mr. President, first, I want to thank you for graciously hosting me once again
in the White House. And second, I want to thank you for your friendship and for your leadership. From Jerusalem to Tehran, from the Golan Heights to
Gaza, you've proven time and again what I've said many times, you are the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House. And, Mr.
President, you and I both know it's not even close.
While you focus at home on making America great again, your leadership abroad is changing the world for the better, ending wars and advancing
peace. I believe that today we're taking a critical step towards both ending the war in Gaza and setting the stage for dramatically advancing
peace in the Middle East, and I think beyond the Middle East, in very important Muslim countries.
I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas's military
capabilities and its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. We would not have achieved this turning point without
the courage and sacrifice of our incredibly brave soldiers. They fight like lions to defend the people of Israel, and they serve on the front line in
the war between civilization and barbarism.
Mr. President, when our two countries stand shoulder to shoulder, we achieve the impossible. Just a few months ago, in Operation Rising Lion and
Operation Midnight Hammer, we struck a decisive blow against Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program. Your bold decision to send those B-2s made
the region safer and the world safer. Now, under your leadership, we're taking the next step to win the war and expand the peace.
Your plan is consistent with the five principles my government set for the end of the war and the day after Hamas. Everybody asks, what is your plan
for the day after Hamas? Here's our plan. Pass it in the cabinet. All our hostages, both those who are alive and those who died, all of them will
return home immediately. Hamas will be disarmed. Gaza will be demilitarized. Israel will retain security responsibility, including the
security perimeter for the foreseeable future. And lastly, Gaza will have a peaceful civilian administration that is run neither by Hamas nor by the
Palestinian Authority.
If Hamas agrees to your plan, Mr. President, the first step will be a modest withdrawal followed by the released of all our hostages within 72
hours. The next step will be the establishment of an international body charged with fully disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
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