Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on Monday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, becoming the first foreign leader to negotiate face-to-face over Trump’s newly imposed global tariffs, including a surprise 17% levy on Israeli goods.
The meeting, confirmed by both Israeli and U.S. officials, will cover multiple key issues: U.S.-Israel trade, efforts to reach a hostage deal in Gaza, Israel-Turkey relations, the threat from Iran, and actions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), which recently issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others over alleged war crimes.
This marks Netanyahu’s fourth visit to Washington since the Gaza war began, and his second since Trump returned to office. The visit was reportedly initiated during a Thursday phone call while Netanyahu was in Hungary. His office praised the “warm relationship” with Trump and highlighted his role as the first leader invited to meet post-tariff announcement.
Israel is seeking to expand a January hostage deal, hoping to secure more releases without ending the war — a condition Hamas demands in the deal’s second phase. With 59 hostages still in Gaza, Israel is wary that the U.S. is “losing interest” in the issue.
Trump has also expressed interest in restarting talks with Iran over its nuclear program — a move Israel views skeptically. Netanyahu is expected to push for U.S.-Israel coordination in case of military action against Iran’s facilities.
The visit comes as Trump’s administration negotiates with Israel, India, and Vietnam to soften tariff impacts. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s criminal trial was briefly paused to allow for his trip, though proceedings resume Wednesday.
