Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make his third trip to the US since President Donald Trump returned to the White House next week. In preparation for the summit, Netanyahu’s closest adviser, Ron Dermer, is visiting the White House. 

A White House official told Reuters that Netanyahu’s closest ally is often in Washington. “Ron Dermer visits the White House regularly,” they explained. Dermer is the Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister and is considered a close confidant of the Israeli leader. 

After the October 7 Hamas attack, Netanyahu tasked Dermer to develop a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza. Israel Hayom reported Dermer’s proposal called for “Thinning the population of Gaza to the minimum possible” and creating horrific conditions in the Strip to force other countries to accept the desperate Palestinians. 

Israeli operations in Gaza have decimated the Strip, making it largely unlivable. Additionally, Tel Aviv has reduced aid shipments into Gaza to a minimum. 

In recent days, Trump has resumed his calls for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. “We hope it’s going to happen. And we’re looking forward to it happening sometime next week,” he told reporters as he departed the White House for a day trip to Florida. “We want to get the hostages out.”

The primary impediment to a deal is Netanyahu’s insistence that Israel be allowed to restart the killing in Gaza after the hostages are released. Hamas has long offered to release all the hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the fighting. 

The President could exert pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister to bring the conflict fully to a close, as Tel Aviv relies on Washington’s military aid to conduct the slaughter. However, Trump agreed to new weapon transfers to Israel and lavished Netanyahu with praise while demanding that he receive a pardon for his ongoing corruption and bribery trial.