Netanyahu’s return to the White House under Trump

Trump and Netanyahu gather at the White House to discuss ceasefire in Gaza, a threat Iranian and future of relations with Arab countries at a decisive moment for the Middle East

United States President Donald Trump will receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week. This will be the first invitation to a foreign leader since Trump resumed the position.

According to Financial Times, Israeli officials confirmed that the meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday and will mark Netanyahu’s first international trip since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him last year, accusing him of war -related war crimes in Gaza.

The two leaders should address crucial topics, such as negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Iran’s nuclear threat and the possibility of a standardization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. In a formal invitation sent to Netanyahu on Wednesday and widely released by Israeli media, Trump wrote: “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and their neighbors, as well as efforts to face our ordinary opponents.”

“It will be an honor to receive you as my first foreign leader during my second term,” added Trump.

In recent days, the US president has generated controversy in the Arab world by insisting that Egypt and Jordan will help to “clean” Gaza, accepting much of the displaced population of the devastated enclave.

Netanyahu’s visit to Washington as soon as Trump’s inauguration marks a triumphant return to the White House after years of tensions with Joe Biden’s administration. Steve Witkoff, sent from Trump to the Middle East, arrived in Israel on Wednesday for meetings with Netanyahu and other high employees. He should also visit Gaza to evaluate the fragile ceasefire agreement that helped negotiate earlier this month, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

According to the terms of the agreement, six Israeli hostages maintained by Hamas should be released in the coming days, along with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli chains.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have already begun to return to their homes in northern Gaza, after international mediators resolved a crisis that endangered US intermediated respite.

During Joe Biden’s management, Netanyahu was not received at the Oval Hall after his return to power in late 2022, reflecting concerns with far-right members in his governing coalition and his efforts to weaken the country’s judiciary. Following the Hamas attack south of Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza, tensions between the two leaders increased due to military strategy, while the number of civilians fired on the coastal enclave.

However, American leaders of much of the political spectrum, including Biden, criticized the TPI’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his then Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for alleged “crimes against humanity and war crimes” in Gaza. The US and Israel are not members of the Court.

Netanyahu ended up meeting Biden at the White House last July, but only after republican legislators in the capitol invited the Israeli leader to speak in a joint session of Congress.