US President Donald Trump on Feb. 2 said that talks with Israel and other countries on the Middle East were “progressing.” The comments come as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reaches Washington ahead of his discussions on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire on Feb. 3. The statement also comes amid a report that Trump and Netanyahu will announce a development on a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is working with the parties on the precise wording of the statement, reported Haaretz. The report claims that no agreement has been reached as to whether this will be a symbolic declaration or a statement with concrete details. Witkoff visited Riyadh last week before arriving for meetings in Israel, where he met with Hussein al-Sheikh, a Palestinian Authority minister and others.Some reports speculate that Trump’s repeated mention of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan may be a negotiation tactic.The main focus of the Trump administration is reportedly to advance normalisation with Saudi Arabia, which it sees as the key to regional change. This is said to be part of the US president’s vision for a “Golden age of peace in the Middle East.” n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION3:22 WHAT’S ON NETANYAHU’S AGENDA?5:54 AFTER NETANYAHU, JORDAN KING TO VISIT US7:25 EGYPT UNVEILS GAZA RECONSTRUCTION PLAN
