Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said President Donald Trump's Monday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago will be "very productive," predicting the leaders will advance shared security priorities in the Middle East.
Appearing Monday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Diker said the two leaders face common threats that should keep their discussions focused and outcome-driven.
"Absolutely. They'll be very productive," he said when asked about the expected results of the talks. "The president and the prime minister have a very good working relationship."
Diker argued that the Trump-Netanyahu relationship has been reinforced by frequent, direct contact between the two leaders.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu is the only leader that has met the president six times since January 2025," he said.
Diker framed the talks around what he called two "shared challenges," naming Iran and Turkey.
He said the leaders "have a shared enemy," pointing to "the Islamic Republic of Iran," which he claimed is rapidly rebuilding its strike capabilities.
According to Diker, Iran is "building 3,000 rockets and missiles a month" and still retains "40% to 50% inventory" following what he described as a joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran's missile and nuclear infrastructure in June.
But he stressed that the most urgent issue remains the ceasefire between Gaza and Hamas, arguing the terror group is delaying progress even as the U.S. pushes for next steps in Trump's 20-point peace plan.
The war in Gaza began after Israel responded to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on the Jewish state, which killed approximately 1,200 civilians and saw around 250 hostages taken into Gaza.
"We're still in phase one," he said, arguing Hamas is waging "cognitive warfare" and "deceiving President Trump" to prevent moving to a second stage that would require "disarming Hamas [and] demilitarizing Gaza."
Diker said Hamas has rejected attempts by any outside force to disarm it.
"Hamas has openly, in Arabic, defied any international force, even the Arab forces, from attempting to disarm them by force," he said.
Only the Israeli military can successfully accomplish that objective, he argued.
"The only force in the world that can disarm Hamas and help demilitarize Gaza is the Israel Defense Forces," Diker said. "They've done it; they can do it."
Diker said Trump should give Netanyahu authority to act decisively.
"I think the president needs to give Prime Minister Netanyahu the green light to do it again," he said.
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