By: Fern Sidman

President Donald J. Trump is set to make a brief but symbolically powerful visit to Israel on Monday, marking his first trip to the Jewish state since returning to office and the first by an American president during an active ceasefire period. According to a report that appeared on Saturday in The Times of Israel, the visit—lasting just under four hours—will include a series of tightly choreographed meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, families of Israeli hostages, and a formal address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

Trump’s itinerary, which was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12 and later confirmed by sources cited in The Times of Israel report, reflects both the urgency and the delicate balance of his Middle East agenda. He is expected to land at Ben Gurion International Airport at 9:20 a.m. local time, where a brief welcoming ceremony will be held before he proceeds directly to Jerusalem.

The visit comes as the newly brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—negotiated under Trump’s peace plan—enters a critical stage. The 72-hour window for the release of remaining Israeli hostages began on Friday, and by the time of Trump’s arrival, Israeli officials expect to have confirmed the release of several of the captives.

According to the information provided in The Times of Israel report, Trump’s trip will include three key moments: a bilateral meeting with Netanyahu in the Knesset’s premier’s office, a closed-door encounter with hostage families in the parliament’s Chagall Hall, and his highly anticipated speech to the full Knesset plenum scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Sources cited in The Times of Israel report described the visit as “short but momentous,” emphasizing that each segment of the schedule has been designed to deliver a specific message. The meeting with Netanyahu will focus on next steps in the ceasefire’s implementation, including the conditions under which humanitarian aid will enter Gaza and the continued monitoring of Hamas’ compliance.

The subsequent meeting with hostage families, perhaps the emotional centerpiece of the visit, will allow Trump to express solidarity with those whose loved ones remain in captivity. The Times of Israel report noted that families have been invited from across the country, including from the hard-hit border communities of Nir Oz, Be’eri, and Kfar Aza—symbols of both Israeli tragedy and resilience since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.

One family representative told The Times of Israel that Trump’s planned visit was “a gesture that means a great deal to us,” adding that “whatever one thinks of politics, there’s power in knowing the leader of the free world is standing with us.”

Trump’s Knesset address, set for late morning, is expected to be the highlight of the trip. According to the report in The Times of Israel, the president’s speech will underscore the principles of his broader regional peace plan, emphasizing U.S.-Israel solidarity, a “pathway to regional normalization,” and the “uncompromising destruction of terrorist infrastructure.”

A senior Israeli official quoted by The Times of Israel said that “Trump intends to speak not only to Israelis but to the entire Middle East,” noting that the White House views the speech as “a moment to reaffirm America’s moral leadership after months of war.”

Sources in Washington told the outlet that Trump’s remarks will likely echo his earlier statements about the ceasefire being “a testament to strength and faith, not weakness,” and his insistence that “the path to peace must never be paved with compromise on security.”

The Knesset session itself will be unprecedented in tone and format. The Times of Israel reported that the plenum will be attended by senior members of Israel’s security cabinet, opposition lawmakers, and foreign diplomats, with seating arranged to accommodate both Israeli and American delegations.

Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu will mark the first in-person encounter between the two since their White House summit in September. The two leaders, once celebrated for their close alignment during Trump’s first term, have seen their relationship evolve amid shifting political circumstances in both Washington and Jerusalem.

As The Times of Israel report observed, “While Trump and Netanyahu remain strategically aligned, both are entering this meeting with distinct pressures at home.” Netanyahu faces criticism from opposition parties and members of his own coalition over the scope and timing of the ceasefire deal, while Trump’s renewed engagement in the Middle East is viewed by U.S. analysts as both a diplomatic test and a domestic political opportunity.

The pair are expected to discuss the implementation of “Operation Returning to Their Border” — the Israeli codename for the current hostage repatriation and withdrawal framework — as well as the next stages of Trump’s peace plan, which envisions the eventual reconstruction of Gaza under an international oversight mechanism.

“Trump wants to ensure that this ceasefire becomes the foundation for a broader realignment, not another pause that collapses into violence,” one U.S. diplomat told The Times of Israel.

The timing of Trump’s visit is laden with both promise and peril. As The Times of Israel has noted in recent coverage, while the ceasefire has largely held since going into effect on Friday, tensions remain high. Sporadic gunfire and reports of isolated rocket fire from southern Gaza on Saturday prompted temporary suspensions of aid convoys before resuming under Israeli supervision.

Trump’s arrival in this atmosphere sends a deliberate message, according to analysts cited in The Times of Israel report: the United States intends to be visibly present at the moment of both relief and reckoning. His four-hour stay, though brief, is intended to reinforce the perception of a hands-on American role at a time when both the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the trauma of Israeli hostages remain at the forefront of global attention.

“This visit is as much about optics as policy,” said a senior Israeli commentator quoted by The Times of Israel. “Every handshake, every statement, every moment in front of the cameras will be parsed for meaning—not only in Israel but across the Arab world.”

The Times of Israel reported that Trump’s Middle East team views this trip as a “first phase” in a wider regional initiative that could involve renewed normalization efforts between Israel and Arab states, including Saudi Arabia. Officials in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have privately signaled support for Trump’s intervention, provided it results in long-term stability and a credible framework for Gaza’s recovery.

Following his departure from Israel at 1:00 p.m., Trump is expected to continue to Cairo for consultations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi before returning to Washington.

In Jerusalem, preparations for his arrival have been extensive. Security perimeters have been set up around the Knesset and key routes from Ben Gurion Airport, with The Times of Israel reporting that Israeli police, Shin Bet agents, and U.S. Secret Service personnel have been conducting joint rehearsals for days.

As Israel braces for Trump’s four-hour visit, the brevity of the schedule belies its potential impact. The Times of Israel report summarized it aptly: “This is not a ceremonial trip—it is a calculated intervention at a critical juncture.”

For Israelis still living in the shadow of October 7, for hostage families awaiting news, and for policymakers seeking a blueprint for stability, Trump’s brief stopover represents both a moment of solidarity and a test of endurance.

Whether it will mark the start of a new diplomatic era or simply a pause in a still-unfolding conflict remains uncertain. But as The Times of Israel report noted: “History has often turned on gestures that lasted only hours. Monday may prove to be one of them.”