In a high-stakes diplomatic visit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet U.S. President Donald Trump this Monday in Washington. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two since Trump announced a wave of punishing tariffs on U.S. trading partners. The meeting will address a range of urgent geopolitical concerns, from trade tensions to escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
According to an Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity, Netanyahu’s top priority is to seek a reversal or exemption from a 17% U.S. tariff on certain Israeli goods. Israel previously attempted to avoid the tariff by preemptively removing its own duties on U.S. products, but the move failed to sway Washington. During a joint phone call from Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Trump reportedly invited Netanyahu to come to the U.S. to discuss the matter in person.
The visit was hastily arranged after the White House rejected proposals to delay it until after the upcoming Passover holiday. Netanyahu will now become the first world leader to meet Trump following the tariff announcement, just as he was the first to meet him after Trump’s inauguration in 2017.
The meeting is also expected to cover the war in Gaza, Iranian nuclear threats, and Turkey’s expanding influence in Syria. Israel has intensified its military operations in Gaza in a bid to pressure Hamas into releasing remaining hostages. The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 50,000 Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict, which erupted when Hamas militants stormed Israeli territory, killing and abducting hundreds.
On Iran, Trump is pressing for direct negotiations to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, threatening military action if diplomacy fails. While Israel remains deeply skeptical of talks with Iran, it continues to coordinate closely with Washington and is quietly preparing its military for a potential strike if needed.
Syria and Turkey will also be key topics, as Israel pushes to keep its northern borders secure. Turkey, now backing Syria’s new government, has clashed with Israeli interests in the region, further complicating an already volatile landscape.
Netanyahu is currently in Budapest, where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed him in defiance of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued in November over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Orban pledged to begin the process of withdrawing Hungary from the ICC, calling it politically biased and criticizing its decision to target the Israeli leader.
Orban also publicly backed Israel’s military posture and actions in Gaza, a rare move among European leaders and one that underscores the increasingly polarized international response to the war.
The upcoming Trump-Netanyahu meeting could mark a pivotal moment not only for U.S.-Israel relations but also for the broader international response to multiple flashpoints in the Middle East.
