US President backs Israel on Hamas and Iran, threatening future strikes over belligerence
Pres. Trump and PM Netanyahu during Press Conference Dec. 29, 2025. Screengrab via Youtube
U.S. President Donald Trump and several top officials expressed concern to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israeli policies in Judea and Samaria during their meeting in Florida, asking Israel to refrain from provocative steps, Axios reported Tuesday morning.
The news outlet quoted sources who said President Trump and his advisers asked Netanyahu to avoid provocative steps and try to “calm things down.”
The U.S. officials also raised concerns about continued incidents of settler violence, the withholding of finances from the Palestinian Authority, due to its support for terrorists, as well as recent settlement expansion.
The U.S. president referred to a disagreement between the two leaders during questions in a press briefing after the meeting.
“We have had a discussion, big discussion for a long time on the West Bank. And I wouldn’t say we agree on the West Bank 100 percent, but we’ll come to a conclusion on the West Bank,” Trump told reporters in response to a question asking if he had a message for Netanyahu regarding the disputed territory.
When asked if he had anything to announce regarding the territory, Trump responded, “I don’t want to do that, it will be announced at an appropriate time.”
Trump also said he trusts Netanyahu. “He will do the right thing. I know that,” Trump added. “I know him very well. He will do the right thing.”
The conversation between Trump administration officials and Netanyahu and his aides was cordial, The Times of Israel reported, noting that Washington expressed concern that an escalation of hostilities in Judea and Samaria could harm progress of the Gaza peace plan and attempts to expand the Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu faces pressure from coalition partners, especially Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (Jewish Power) to expand settlement activity in Judea and Samaria and to declare Israeli sovereignty over at least parts of the territory.
In his ministerial role, Ben Gvir has reportedly also hindered investigations into incidents of settler violence, including a recent attack in which members of the extremist Hilltop Youth movement, which Ben Gvir was previously associated with, abused and killed animals belonging to a Palestinian family near Samua.
However, reports indicate that the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, their sixth this year, was largely positive and successful. The Times of Israel claimed that a senior Israeli official called the meeting “the best” of the six meetings the two leaders have had this year.
President Trump stated that if Hamas refuses to disarm, “it would be horrible for them,” and threatened that “there will be hell to pay” if the terror group does not abide by its promise to lay down its weapons.
“If they don’t disarm as, as they agreed to do, they agreed to it, and then there will be hell to pay for them,” Trump told reporters. “They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time.”
"Based on the fact that Hamas pledged, they swore that they were going to disarm. Now, if they're not going to disarm, those same countries will wipe out Hamas." – President Donald J. Trump ?? pic.twitter.com/mYIBfZzCV0
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 29, 2025
U.S. officials have claimed several times that Hamas leaders agreed to disarm during the meeting that led to the Gaza ceasefire; however, Hamas officials have repeatedly disputed the claim, stating the group will only hand over its weapons to a Palestinian state.
The U.S. president also stated that he hopes to move to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan “as quickly as we can.”
When asked if he had any concerns over Israel’s behavior in the Gaza Strip, Trump pushed back, stating, “I’m not concerned about anything that Israel’s doing.”
“I’m concerned about what other people are doing or maybe aren’t doing,” he continued, saying in regard to Israel, “I’m not concerned. They’ve lived up to the plan.”
Trump also gave support to Israel in another area, which Netanyahu had hoped to secure backing, a potential strike on Iran.
Later in the press briefing, Trump said he would be open to future strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic continued efforts to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile facilities.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump said. “We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them, but hopefully that’s not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal, that’s much smarter.”
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