![President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room of the White House following a press conference in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. [Stringer - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AA-20250929-39261659-39261650-DONALD_TRUMP_NETANYAHU_PRESS_CONFERENCE_IN_WASHINGTON_DC.jpeg)
He had moments of discomfort and embarrassment – pressed into calling the Qatari prime minister by his host to apologise for striking Doha and made to pay lip service to the prospect of a Palestinian state – but Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu had many reasons to be pleased. On 29 September, President Donald Trump advanced a peace proposal that essentially preserves Israeli pre-eminence regarding the fate of Palestinians, though it entails a cessation of hostilities, an affirmation that Gazans would not be expelled (those leaving would have the right to return), and an injunction against Israeli annexation of the Strip. But Hamas, militarily and politically, would have to surrender all claims, with the Palestinian Authority shepherded and supervised by foreign powers. […]
