Netanyahu's Week: Peace Board, Hostage Victory, and Iran Warning

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dominated headlines this week with moves that could reshape Middle East peace and Israeli security. On January 21, according to ILTV Israel News, he formally accepted President Donald Trumps invitation to join the newly launched Board of Peace, a US-led initiative chaired by Trump for life to tackle conflicts starting with Gaza. Countries like the UAE, Morocco, Hungary and others signed on, with a Davos ceremony set for Thursday, though Axios reports Netanyahu nixed a White House push for President Isaac Herzog to attend in his place, insisting the spot was his amid tense talks with Trumps team including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

Fast forward to January 26, and Netanyahu hailed the triumphant return of Master Sergeant Ran Gvillis body, the final hostage from Gaza, as reported by The Times of Israel. No more captives remain there, he declared to cheers in the Knesset, calling it an extraordinary achievement for Israels forces after Gvili went in first and came out last. Trump personally credited the recovery, noting search teams sifted hundreds of bodies, and spoke glowingly to Netanyahu who was thrilled per the reports.

That same day at Jerusalems International Convention Center, Netanyahu keynoted the government-sponsored International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, framing it as a civilization-wide battle dating back 2500 years, per Times of Israel. He urged young Jews abroad to stand tall and fight back, praising guests like ex-Aussie PM Scott Morrison and US envoy Leo Terrell.

In a Knesset session honoring Albanian PM Edi Rama, Netanyahu warned Iran that any attack would be one mistake too many, vowing a fierce response, and insisted Gazas next ceasefire phase means disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Stripnot rebuildinguntil its done the easy or hard way, as echoed by Euronews and Times of Israel.

On social media, his offices X account congratulated Trump on one year back in office, while a stormy coalition meeting saw Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threaten elections over budget delays tied to yeshiva draft exemptions, per Hebrew media. No major public appearances beyond these, but whispers of Rafah crossing talks with Trumps aides hint at high-stakes wheeling and dealing ahead.

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