U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House early next week, a White House official told Foreign Policy on Tuesday. Though Netanyahu’s office announced that the meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4, the White House official said details on the date and time will follow once finalized.
Netanyahu is now set to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump’s inauguration. The two men have much to discuss. Their meeting will occur at a precarious moment in the Middle East, as negotiators struggle to maintain and prolong a tenuous 42-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The six-week pause, which began on Jan. 19, provided the territory with a much-needed reprieve after 15 months of brutal fighting. Talks on the second phase of the truce aimed at reaching a permanent cease-fire are scheduled to begin on Feb. 3.
U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House early next week, a White House official told Foreign Policy on Tuesday. Though Netanyahu’s office announced that the meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4, the White House official said details on the date and time will follow once finalized.
Netanyahu is now set to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump’s inauguration. The two men have much to discuss. Their meeting will occur at a precarious moment in the Middle East, as negotiators struggle to maintain and prolong a tenuous 42-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The six-week pause, which began on Jan. 19, provided the territory with a much-needed reprieve after 15 months of brutal fighting. Talks on the second phase of the truce aimed at reaching a permanent cease-fire are scheduled to begin on Feb. 3.
Trump and Netanyahu were close allies during the U.S. president’s first term, with Trump taking several steps that aligned with the Israeli leader’s agenda—such as moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights. With Netanyahu’s invitation, Trump is signaling that maintaining strong ties with the Israeli leader will continue to be a top priority.
While Trump’s Middle East agenda is still taking shape, there have already been signs that he will again embrace policies favored by Netanyahu. Trump over the weekend scrapped a Biden-era hold on providing 2,000-pound bombs to Israel; Netanyahu promptly praised the president for giving Israel “the tools it needs to defend itself.”
Trump has also proposed a plan to “clean out” Gaza that would see its Palestinian residents moved to Jordan and Egypt, an idea that was praised by far-right Israeli politicians. The governments of Jordan and Egypt, as well as Palestinian leaders, have been clear that they fundamentally oppose Trump’s proposal.
This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration. Follow along here.
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