U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for pivotal talks on Monday to press him to back a Gaza peace proposal aimed at ending a nearly two-year-old war that has seen Israel face growing international isolation.

In Netanyahu's fourth visit since Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader was looking to shore up his country's most important relationship after a slew of Western leaders formally embraced Palestinian statehood last week in defiance of the U.S. and Israel.

Trump, who had sharply criticized the recognition moves as a prize to Hamas, was seeking Netanyahu's agreement on a framework to end the war in the Palestinian enclave and free the remaining hostages held by the militants.

It marked a stepped-up diplomatic effort

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