Israeli PM Netanyahu to meet US President at White House on Monday

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House on Monday (April 7).

A senior US official confirmed the arrangement on Saturday, as the two countries battle extremely thorny issues, including President Donald Trump's shock imposition of 17 percent tariffs on Israeli imports.

Netanyahu would become the first foreign leader to meet President Donald Trump in person following the imposition of sweeping new US tariffs. The visit is likely to focus on negotiations to remove those tariffs, as well as discussions on the Iran nuclear threat and the ongoing war in Gaza, the report stated.

"Maybe even next week": Trump hints at meeting

Trump first mentioned the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Washington during remarks to reporters on Air Force One on Thursday, saying the Israeli leader could arrive “maybe even next week.”

The comment came just hours after a phone call between Trump, Netanyahu, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The call was reportedly initiated after Hungary announced it would withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), but Netanyahu used the opportunity to raise concerns about the newly announced US tariffs.

According to Axios, Trump responded by inviting Netanyahu to the White House, although he did not commit to a specific date during the call.

Schedule moved up after Friday talks

Originally, US and Israeli officials had expected the visit to occur later in April, possibly during Passover week, starting April 14, as per the report. However, following talks between the White House and Netanyahu’s office on Friday, both sides began exploring an earlier visit, news outlets reported.

Iran nuclear crisis high on the agenda

Alongside trade issues, the two leaders are expected to hold critical discussions on Iran. A senior Israeli official told the news outlet that Netanyahu believes there is little chance of diplomacy succeeding on the Iranian nuclear issue and wants to reach an “understanding” with Trump about potential military action if talks collapse.

Gaza war and hostage talks also in focus

Another key topic will be the war in Gaza and the stalled negotiations for a hostage and ceasefire deal. Trump and Netanyahu are likely to discuss the next steps in trying to bring about a resolution or renewed talks on the matter, Axios noted.