Stephen Zunes, director of the Middle Eastern studies programme at the University of San Francisco, said a lasting Gaza ceasefire deal remains unlikely.
“Obviously, both sides need to compromise,” he told CNA’s Asia First.
“But we’ve seen time and time again, a situation where the US will rewrite the ceasefire proposal to meet Israeli demands, and then when the Palestinians demand going back to the original proposal, the US will say it’s Hamas who’s rejecting peace and not wanting to negotiate.”
Zunes believes the upcoming meeting is “more of a propaganda exercise than anything else”.
“It is possible that Trump, knowing how bad this is hurting the US reputation by supporting Israel, given the ongoing atrocities, might try to pressure Netanyahu to compromise more,” he added.
“But I’ve seen no indication so far that that’s going to be the case.”
Zunes noted that there have been notable instances in the past where US presidents pressured Israel to halt military actions by threatening to withhold aid.
“So, the US does have the power to pressure Israel,” he said. “But again, I’ve seen no indication that Trump has been willing to do that.”
