In an important development on the global political front, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is scheduled to engage in a significant meeting with President Trump at the renowned White House on Monday. This information has been gleaned from the statements of two White House officials and an Israeli authority, who shared the details under the assurance of anonymity due to restrictions on public disclosures about the matter. The meeting will mark the second such event between the two leaders since President Trump assumed office after his inauguration in January.
In the backdrop of this event, Mr. Netanyahu will be making his arrival in Washington in the wake of Israel’s renewed military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. This resumption of military activities came into effect towards the end of last month, despite sincere efforts on part of President Trump’s administrative aides to broker a new truce to halt the ongoing conflict and facilitate the release of more hostages.
Apart from the central issue of the conflict in Gaza, the two leaders are expected to delve into discussions about President Trump’s extensive tariffs, which notably includes a 17 percent markup on Israeli exports to the United States. Prior to the announcement of these tariffs by President Trump, Mr. Netanyahu had made an attempt to circumvent these tariffs by nullifying Israeli customs duties on American products. However, this measure seemingly resulted in no tangible benefits.
Despite these prevailing issues, the impending visit of Mr. Netanyahu is emblematic of the shift in the Israeli leader’s diplomatic status in Washington since President Trump resumed power in January. It is significant to note that the rapport between former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Mr. Netanyahu had become increasingly strained as the conflict in Gaza continued to escalate, resulting in no meetings between the two in the Oval Office until 2024.
Throughout his tenure, President Trump has articulated his Middle East policy in a way that is vastly beneficial to Israel, maintaining a close alignment with Mr. Netanyahu. Upon assuming office for his second term, President Trump extended an invitation to the Israeli Prime Minister, making him the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House.
As of now, there has been no official comment from Mr. Netanyahu’s spokesperson regarding the upcoming visit. Prior to this, the Israeli Prime Minister was in Hungary on a state visit, where he had an opportunity to meet the country’s leader, Viktor Orban.
During Mr. Netanyahu’s previous visit to the United States, President Trump had affirmed his commitment to forging a new diplomatic agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a goal that both leaders are keenly interested in. However, President Trump seemingly backtracked on his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, despite facing considerable pressure from the Saudis.
In a significant move, President Trump also unveiled a plan for Gaza that envisaged a U.S. takeover and the mass exit of Palestinians from the region. This proposal, which seemed to be a spontaneous idea, has been criticized as a potential violation of international law. The plan was also unanimously rejected by Arab nations. Following this, Mr. Netanyahu proposed the concept of “voluntary emigration” for Gazans, a suggestion that has been widely criticized as a ploy for forced displacement.
In another significant policy decision, President Trump annulled sanctions that had been imposed by Mr. Biden on violent West Bank settlers and released weapons to Israel that had been withheld by the former president.
Since the renewal of the war in late March, Israeli forces have been consistently bombarding Gaza and gradually advancing deeper into the region. In an apparent attempt to put pressure on Hamas, Israel has also imposed a blockade on aid entering Gaza for about a month, leading to growing concerns about a possible humanitarian crisis for the residents of Gaza.
The Trump administration has squarely blamed Hamas for the collapse of the cease-fire, which had been put into effect just before President Trump’s inauguration in January. The truce lasted for about two months before it was decisively ended by Israel with a deadly bombardment on March 18.
Hamas, on the other hand, has accused Israel of breaking the cease-fire, which had been brokered with the assistance of Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy. The agreement had secured an initial six-week truce to allow both sides to negotiate a comprehensive deal aimed at freeing the remaining hostages and ending the war. However, Israel flatly refused to consider the deal without an end to Hamas’s rule in the region.
The military campaign by Israel has resulted in the death of more than 50,000 Gazans, including more than 1,000 since the end of the truce in late March, as reported by the Gaza health ministry. These figures, however, do not differentiate between civilians and combatants, painting a grim picture of the ongoing conflict.
