Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet President Trump at the White House on Monday in the second visit by Israeli leaders since the president took office in January, according to two White House officials and Israeli officials.
Netanyahu will arrive in Washington after updating Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza late last month. Authorities spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
In addition to the Gaza War, the two leaders could be exposed to Trump's extensive tariffs, including 17% markup on Israeli exports to the United States. Netanyahu had tried to avoid the tariffs the night before Trump's announcement by sparing Israel's tariffs on American products.
Still, Netanyahu's anticipated visit highlights how Israeli leaders viewed his diplomatic status in the Washington shift since Trump returned to power in January. His relationship with Netanyahu was increasingly plagued by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who didn't meet him in the oval office until 2024, as the Gaza War wore it.
Trump has put in place Middle Eastern policies to benefit Israel, particularly in the interest of him, leaving little sunlight between himself and Netanyahu. When Trump took office for his second term, he made Israel's prime minister the first foreign leader to invite the White House.
A spokesman for Netanyahu did not respond to requests for comment regarding the visit. The Israeli Prime Minister was in Hungary on a state visit. There he met with the country's leader, Victor Orban.
During Netanyahu's final trip, Trump revealed he was being encouraged to mediate a new diplomatic contract between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the main goal of both leaders. But Trump appeared to drop support for the Palestinian state despite pressure from Saudi Arabia.
Trump also described Gaza's vision, which includes US acquisitions and a massive Palestinian exit from the enclave. Experts said the seemingly off-line proposal to remove Palestinians probably violated international law. It was also widely rejected by Arab countries. Netanyahu has since called for “voluntary immigration” by Gazanians, whose critics have effectively condemned forced evacuation.
Trump also canceled Biden's sanctions imposed on violent West Bank settlers and released weapons to Israel, a former president-elect.
Israeli forces have steadily attacked Gaza and have invaded the enclaves since the war resumed in late March. Israel has also banned it from entering Gaza for about a month amid apparent attempts to put pressure on Hamas, leading to fears of the worsening humanitarian crisis for the Gaza people.
The Trump administration blamed Hamas on the collapse of the ceasefire. The ceasefire that began just before Trump's January inauguration took place for about two months before Israel ended with a deadly fire on March 18th.
Hamas accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire. Trump's Middle Eastern envoy, Steve Witkoff, helped the broker. The agreement had secured a truce for the first six weeks to negotiate a comprehensive deal to free the remaining hostages and end the war.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel's military campaign killed more than 50,000 Gaza people in Israel's military campaign. These numbers do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
