Netanyahu Meets Trump Envoy Steve Witkoff in NYC as U.S. Pushes Ceasefire Framework for Gaza

By: Fern Sidman

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New York on Thursday under extraordinary scrutiny, as reports surfaced that his government plane flew an unusual route from Tel Aviv, largely avoiding European airspace, before touching down in the United States. The unusual flight path added an air of secrecy and caution to a visit already defined by uncertainty: how Israel will respond to President Trump’s latest push to bring the war in Gaza to an end and secure the release of hostages.

According to a report on Thursday in The Times of Israel, Netanyahu and Israeli Strategic Affairs Adviser Ron Dermer met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff at their hotel in New York, according to Israel’s Channel 13. The discussions centered on Trump’s newly unveiled framework, a plan that was previewed earlier in the week to eight Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

While the official details remain guarded, multiple Israeli media outlets—including The Times of Israel—confirm that Netanyahu is facing mounting pressure from Washington to embrace a framework that is seen in U.S. circles as the only viable path out of Israel’s growing international isolation.

The Trump plan, shaped in part by his son-in-law and longtime Middle East adviser Jared Kushner, who was also central to the 2020 “Deal of the Century” and the Abraham Accords, envisions an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza followed by a transitional governance mechanism. That mechanism, according to a report on Israel’s Channel 12 and reiterated in The Times of Israel report, would operate under the authority of the United Nations Security Council.

The plan’s central promise to Israel is that ceasing the war now would not only secure the release of hostages but also help alleviate Israel’s diplomatic isolation, particularly in the wake of recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by European nations. “Continuing the war will isolate Israel even further,” one U.S. official told Channel 12, a statement cited in The Times of Israel report. “But accepting the plan and ending the war will extricate Israel from isolation and enable progress in more positive directions in the region, with U.S. backing.”

Yet, despite the optimism voiced in Washington, Netanyahu has reacted coolly. The Times of Israel reported that the prime minister is deeply uneasy about the plan’s lack of immediate disarmament requirements for Hamas. Instead of demanding Hamas surrender its arsenal as a precondition for the war’s end, the U.S. framework envisions demilitarization as a post-war process. For Netanyahu, who has repeatedly vowed that Hamas must be dismantled before the conflict can end, this omission represents a fundamental flaw.

Another element of Trump’s plan, perhaps even more contentious in Jerusalem, is the reported inclusion of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the governance of parts of the Gaza Strip once the fighting ceases. According to the Kan public broadcaster, Israel will likely have to agree to some PA involvement in Gaza’s administration.

Netanyahu has long insisted that the PA—which continues to pay stipends to convicted terrorists and has failed to control violence in Judea and Samaria—cannot be entrusted with authority in Gaza. As The Times of Israel reported, the prime minister has repeatedly pledged to block any attempt to restore the PA to power in the Strip. For many in his right-wing coalition, the notion of PA governance in Gaza is not merely undesirable but entirely unacceptable.

Still, U.S. officials argue that involving the PA is essential for the plan’s credibility. Arab and European leaders, The Times of Israel report noted, see the PA as the only entity with even a nominal claim to Palestinian legitimacy. Without its participation, they fear, Gaza would descend into further chaos after the war.

Perhaps most galling for Netanyahu is the plan’s proposal that post-war governance mechanisms in Gaza be overseen by the UN Security Council. For decades, Israel has viewed the UN as structurally biased against it, citing the disproportionate number of resolutions targeting the Jewish state. As The Times of Israel report pointed out, Netanyahu has frequently derided UN agencies as platforms for Palestinian propaganda and international attempts to delegitimize Israel’s right to self-defense.

Allowing the Security Council to exercise authority over Gaza’s reconstruction and security arrangements would, in Netanyahu’s view, tie Israel’s hands and embolden its adversaries. The report in The Times of Israel suggested that this provision, as much as Hamas’s continued armament, is a key factor in his reluctance to embrace Trump’s framework.

The political theater surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to New York extends beyond closed-door negotiations. According to the information provided in the Channel 12 report, Palestinian representatives to the UN are actively working to organize a walkout during Netanyahu’s address to the General Assembly on Friday. The Times of Israel reported that organizers are lobbying Arab, African, and even some European delegations to join in the protest, a move designed to humiliate Netanyahu on the world stage and underscore Israel’s growing diplomatic challenges.

The optics of such a walkout, combined with the mounting recognition of Palestinian statehood by Western European nations in recent weeks, would reinforce the argument of Trump’s team: that Israel risks deeper isolation unless it accepts a U.S.-brokered deal.

For Netanyahu, the calculus is fraught with contradictions. On the one hand, The Times of Israel report emphasized the growing pressure from Washington and the international community, not to mention the domestic political imperative of securing the hostages’ release. On the other, his governing coalition relies heavily on partners who view any compromise—particularly involving the PA or UN oversight—as a betrayal of Israel’s security.

Netanyahu’s advisors, including Ron Dermer, have sought to strike a delicate balance in New York. While not outright rejecting the U.S. framework, they have emphasized Israel’s red lines: no ceasefire without Hamas’s disarmament, no PA foothold in Gaza, and no foreign body—least of all the UN—dictating Israel’s security policy.

Adding to the complexity is the reemergence of Jared Kushner, whose fingerprints are visible on Trump’s new initiative. As The Times of Israel report recalled, Kushner was instrumental in crafting the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. His involvement signals that the Trump team is again seeking to leverage regional momentum to deliver a breakthrough, this time in Gaza.

But even Kushner’s credibility may not be enough to persuade Netanyahu. Unlike the Abraham Accords, which were widely popular in Israel, this plan demands painful concessions. Kushner’s challenge, as The Times of Israel report framed it, is to convince Netanyahu that the benefits of international backing outweigh the risks of emboldening Hamas and empowering the PA.

The real test will come on Monday, when Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Trump at the White House. As The Times of Israel report noted, this will be their fourth meeting since the war began, and perhaps the most consequential. Trump’s aides are expected to press Netanyahu to accept at least the outline of the framework, framing it as the only path to secure U.S. support and avoid further international backlash.

Whether Netanyahu yields or resists, his decision will shape Israel’s trajectory in the coming months. If he accepts, he risks a political firestorm at home but could regain international legitimacy and secure the hostages’ return. If he refuses, he strengthens his coalition’s support but risks alienating Israel’s most important ally and deepening the sense of isolation that The Times of Israel has described in recent weeks.

As Netanyahu deliberates in New York, the stakes could not be higher. The Times of Israel report captured the moment succinctly: Israel is caught between the uncompromising demands of its security reality and the diplomatic pressure of its allies. Trump’s plan offers a potential off-ramp from war, but at a cost many in Israel believe is too high.

For Netanyahu, the choice is stark: accept a U.S.-backed framework that undermines his red lines, or reject it and risk further isolation. The next few days, culminating in his White House meeting, will reveal whether he is prepared to take that gamble.