Netanyahu denies claims he and Trump were ‘butting heads’ over peace deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed what he called “fake spins” of his meeting with President Donald Trump during an interview on “Special Report” Tuesday evening.

Netanyahu spoke with “Special Report” executive editor Bret Baier after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday to discuss plans to implement the second phase of the Gaza peace deal. 

Though he acknowledged the difficulty implementing the second phase has been, Netanyahu denied reports that he and Trump were “butting heads” over the issue.

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“He cut right to the chase,” Netanyahu said. “He said, ‘Look, skip all this press stuff.’ I mean, the real thing is, you have got to get Hamas to disarm. He just banged the nail on the head, you know.” 

When Baier brought up Trump telling the press on Monday that he did not agree with Netanyahu on issues regarding the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Israeli leader insisted that they both agreed on the desire for peace in the area.

“I think there is a lot of daylight, because I think we both want to see a future in which that territory is not used for terrorist attacks,” Netanyahu said. “We have done a lot of things in that regard. We also want to build a lot of infrastructure there. Both for us and for our Palestinian neighbors, and I think there is a lot of room to talk about it.”

He added that his main takeaway from the meeting was the reassuring strength and alliance between Israel and the U.S.

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“Israel emerged from the seven-front war hoisted on us as the most powerful country in the Middle East. But part of that is the tremendous alliance we have with President Trump,” Netanyahu said. “It’s a partnership of like-minded people and leaders. And I am very grateful to President Trump for that support that he gives us.”

After Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, the war in Gaza stretched on for nearly two years, leaving tens of thousands estimated dead. Israel and Hamas reached a breakthrough peace deal following months of mediation by Trump administration officials.

As part of the first phase in the peace deal, Hamas released the final 20 living hostages in exchange for Israel freeing 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

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During Tuesday’s interview, Netanyahu also told Baier that he believed a stabilized Gazan government was “possible” in the new year provided that Hamas commits to disarm itself.

“[I]f we disarm Hamas, whether with an international force or by any other means, yes, I see a different future for Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “And this is the one remaining step. Everybody understands that. I think Hamas understands it. That’s why they don’t want to do it. Because, you know, the point here is not to negotiate with Hamas. That’s not the job. Their job is to vanish, stop, no more. And you know who wants it more than anyone else? The people of Gaza.” 

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After their meeting on Monday, Netanyahu informed the press that Trump would be receiving the nation’s highest cultural honor, the Israel Prize, making Trump the first non-Israeli citizen to receive it in almost 80 years.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.