Watan-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, Sunday, that during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, he will discuss what he described as critical issues, including negotiations regarding Gaza and Hamas, the return of all Israeli detainees from Gaza, and confronting what he called the Iran axis.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster, Netanyahu stated before departing for Washington that he was heading for a “very important meeting” with Trump.
The Israeli Prime Minister added that his government’s decisions during the war have changed the Middle East. He further stated that through joint efforts with Trump, Israel’s security could be strengthened, and the circle of peace expanded.
Reuters reported that Netanyahu’s visit comes at a time when he seeks to strengthen relations with Washington following tensions that arose under the previous U.S. administration over the Gaza war.
The White House announced last Friday that Netanyahu would visit Washington and hold a working meeting with Trump, stating that the upcoming meeting reaffirms continued U.S. support for Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. news website Axios reported that Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump twice in Washington on Tuesday—once for a working meeting and again for an informal dinner.
Supportive Measures by Trump
Trump began his presidency with measures supportive of Israel, including lifting the suspension imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden on the supply of 2,000-pound (approximately one-ton) bombs, according to Axios.
Negotiation File
In a related context, an Axios correspondent reported that negotiations for the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal were supposed to resume on Monday. However, Netanyahu decided not to send the negotiation team to Qatar before his meeting with Trump, despite warnings from negotiation leaders.
Axios quoted a senior official saying that Netanyahu decided to cancel a meeting with the negotiation team and prefers to delay everything until after his meeting with Trump on Tuesday.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office mentioned that the Prime Minister spoke with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and agreed that negotiations for the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal would begin after their meeting in Washington on Monday, where they will discuss Israeli positions.
Netanyahu’s office added that Witkoff is expected to speak this week with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as well as senior Egyptian officials. He will then hold discussions with Netanyahu on the necessary steps to advance negotiations, including setting dates for delegations to conduct talks.
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