Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington DC on Sunday night ahead of a series of hastily arranged meetings with US President Donald Trump and senior US officials over the next two days.
The meetings will largely focus on the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and the hostages, of whom 59 are still in captivity, as well as Trump’s new tariff policy, under which Israeli goods face a 17 percent US tariff. Netanyahu’s office has also said that “Israel-Turkey relations, the Iranian threat and confronting the International Criminal Court” will be on the agenda.
Trump told reporters on Sunday: “We’re going to talk about trade, and we’re going to talk about the obvious subject. You know what the obvious subject is, right?” This was widely interpreted in Israel as referring to Iran’s nuclear program.
The premier departed for Washington from Budapest on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the trip was announced.
The visit, which is expected to last until Tuesday but which Channel 12 reported could be extended, was said to have been planned following a three-way conversation last week between Netanyahu, Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House at 1 p.m. local time — 8 p.m. in Israel, during primetime news broadcasts — and the two will give joint statements in the Oval Office.
After the statements, a wide-ranging meeting is expected, in which Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to participate, among other aides to the two leaders.
Witkoff has spearheaded efforts to reach a fresh hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, following the collapse of the previous agreement — which provided for the return of all hostages, but also would have required Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza and end the war — and the subsequent return to fighting in the Strip.
After the wide-ranging meeting, Netanyahu and Trump will hold a joint press conference in the East Wing of the White House.
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