Trump to host Netanyahu in first foreign leader visit of second term – live updates

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

We’ve just heard from the Trump administration’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, along with special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

Speaking to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Witkoff says that US and Israeli officials have done over “guidelines and parameters” for the second phase of the peace plan.

He also says that the US government views a return to Gaza’s destruction as unfeasible for its residents.

Witkoff adds that the administration believes it is “physically impossible” to repair Gaza to a level in which it is inhabitable within the timeframe he says is currently set out in the agreement.

“There’s nothing left,” he told reporters.

Waltz says the US is “looking to a number of partners in the region to solve this problem”, referring to neighbouring countries like Egypt or Jordan to agree to taking displaced Palestinians.

Middle Eastern nations have consistently refused to transfer displaced people from Gaza, warning such a proposal threatens regional stability.

Waltz goes on to say Trump is “driving practical, common sense solutions to what is admittedly a very difficult situation”.

Additionally, Waltz says that he believes that the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East – including a weakened Hezbollah, the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and Iran being “on the back foot” – has created conditions for negotiations to bear fruit.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in the region, and mostly, there is optimism,” he says, adding that he believes that the region “is on the precipice” of expanding the Abraham Accords.

The accords were an agreement that led to a normalisation of ties between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and several other countries at the end of Trump’s first term.

Netanyahu is expected to arrive at the White House at 16:00 EST (21:00 GMT).