Netanyahu meets US envoy Tom Barrack in West Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in West Jerusalem on Monday with US envoy Tom Barrack, amid growing pressure from Washington to move to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's office released a video clip of Barrack's reception before holding a meeting with officials from both the Israeli and American sides.

Earlier on Monday, the official Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation stated that "the visit (of unspecified duration) is highly sensitive and reflects, according to diplomatic sources, the impatience of US President Donald Trump regarding the delay in transitioning to the next phase of his plan for the Gaza Strip."

On October 10 last year, the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between the "Hamas" movement and Israel began, but the latter violates it daily, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian deaths.

Israel conditions the start of negotiations to launch the second phase on recovering the remains of its last prisoner in Gaza, which "Hamas" is searching for amid massive destruction caused by Israel's genocidal war.

The second phase of the agreement includes several provisions, including the establishment of an international stabilization force led by the US, reconstruction of the sector, its future governance, and discussion of the fate of the "Hamas" movement's weapons.

"Barrack is scheduled to also meet senior political and security officials to assess Israel's readiness to advance towards the second phase, amid increasing American pressure," according to the corporation.

With American support, Israel began a genocidal war in Gaza on October 8, 2023; resulting in the death of more than 70,000 Palestinians and injury to over 171,000, mostly children and women.

According to the corporation, "the essence of Barrack's visit revolves around Gaza and transitioning to the second phase of the American plan to replace the temporary and fragile ceasefire with more stable security and political arrangements."

It added that the American plan includes establishing an international stabilization force led by the US aimed at gradually dismantling the military capabilities of the "Hamas" movement and creating an alternative authority in the sector.

"Hamas" insists that it is a "resistance movement against Israeli occupation," rejects disarming, and proposes freezing or storing its weapons.

The corporation explained: "Here, one of the central points of disagreement between Israel and the United States emerges, embodied in the Turkish role."

It indicated that "Barrack sees that Turkey should be part of the stabilization force, thanks to its military capabilities and influence in Gaza."

But it added: "However, Israel considers that a red line, as it sees that any party maintaining relations with Hamas cannot be classified as a stabilization force, and its inclusion (in the international force) may undermine the essence of the plan."

The corporation quoted unnamed Israeli political sources as saying that "Barrack's visit is not viewed as a routine protocol."

The sources saw his visit as "a direct preparatory step for the upcoming meeting between Netanyahu and Trump" in Florida on December 29.

The corporation considered that "Barrack is visiting Israel on a specific mission: to examine Israel's readiness to transition to the second phase and determine the limits of its flexibility, especially in the Gaza file and the international force."

On Sunday, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said that the mission of the international forces and the proposed Peace Council in Gaza is limited to sponsoring and preserving the ceasefire agreement and overseeing the reconstruction of the sector, without any interference in internal affairs.

"Barrack is tasked with determining if Netanyahu is a partner that can be built upon in the next phase," according to the corporation.

The corporation saw that "the first indicators will become clear during the visit, while it is expected that the full picture will be decided later at Trump's table."