Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday in their first face-to-face talks since the outbreak of the Iran war, with discussions expected to focus on the conflict, regional security and diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
According to Channels Television, citing AFP, the meeting comes amid reports of occasional tensions between the two leaders, although both have sought to play down suggestions of a serious rift.
The talks are expected to centre on the Iran conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Washington has since said it wants to give negotiations another opportunity, even as hostilities resumed after an April ceasefire collapsed.
While Israel has not participated in the latest round of fighting between the United States and Iran, the conflict is expected to dominate the agenda during what will be the eighth meeting between Trump and Netanyahu since the US president returned to office.
Speaking before leaving Israel, Netanyahu described the visit as both a privilege and a responsibility.
“We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us,” he said.
Relations between the two leaders deteriorated during ceasefire negotiations in April, when Trump publicly criticised Netanyahu. The Israeli leader later dismissed the disagreements as “tactical”, insisting both governments remained aligned on the broader objectives of the war.
The leaders are also expected to review the implementation of the US-backed framework agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon last month, although officials acknowledge progress has been uneven.
Gaza is also likely to feature in the discussions as international efforts to begin reconstruction remain stalled. The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory continues to worsen nearly three years after the war between Israel and Hamas began, with Israel maintaining military operations against targets it says are militants.
International relations expert Yonatan Freeman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said the visit is intended to reinforce the strength of the US-Israel alliance.
“I think that the main issue is to show the world, to show Iran, and also even Lebanon and others as well specifically, that there is no break or any kind of major disagreement between the United States and Israel,” he told AFP.
Freeman said any differences between Trump and Netanyahu relate more to strategy and timing than to the overall goals of the conflict. He added that Trump is likely to prioritise Iran and expanding the Abraham Accords over developments in Gaza.
Other analysts suggest the talks could also examine the possibility of reducing Israel’s military footprint in parts of the region, including Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.
Netanyahu’s visit comes months before Israel’s national elections, where he is seeking another term. Recent opinion polls show him trailing amid continued public criticism over his government’s failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which triggered the Gaza war.
