Netanyahu’s office confirmed the trip in a Saturday night statement, saying he will depart for Washington on Sunday following an invitation from the U.S. president. The two leaders are expected to discuss the tariff issue, efforts to return Israeli hostages, Israel-Turkey relations, the Iranian threat, and the ongoing battle with the International Criminal Court.
This will be the premier’s fourth visit to the U.S. since the start of the war in Gaza 18 months ago, and his second meeting with Trump since the president’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
The two leaders are also slated to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, as Israel stepped up its military operation since the ceasefire and hostage-terrorist swap agreements broke down in March, CBS News reported on Saturday.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, who was supposed to travel to the U.S. next week, has reportedly postponed his trip, as the prime minister and defense minister are prohibited from being abroad simultaneously during wartime.
The issue of tariffs is expected to feature prominently in the talks, in the wake of the 17% tariff announced on Thursday by Washington on goods imported from the Jewish state—10% effective at 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 5, and an additional 7% at 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 9.
The subject of tariffs came up during a phone call between Trump and Netanyahu, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán present in the background.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister was visiting Budapest when the phone call was made, during which Trump invited Netanyahu to visit the White House for talks on the matter, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
“I spoke to him today,” Trump told reporters outside Air Force One on Thursday. “And I think he’s going to be coming to the country sometime in the not-so-distant future, maybe next week.”
When asked whether there was progress on his proposal to voluntarily relocate Gazans elsewhere, Trump relayed succinctly, “We’re still committed to the relocation.” The president further stated that he would like to see the release of as many hostages from Gaza “as we can.”
A senior diplomatic source told JNS and other media outlets during Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary that Israel is in “serious talks with several countries” to relocate large numbers of people out of the Gaza Strip.
“We are not giving up on Trump’s vision of voluntary migration,” the source said.
He said Israel was discussing the matter with a number of countries simultaneously, although he declined to name them. “They’re willing to do it as part of an exchange, not necessarily money,” he said.
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the Israeli premier over the phone to “underscore U.S. support for Israel,” Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
“The Secretary discussed the situation in Gaza and the Administration’s resolve to free the hostages in Gaza and recently announced tariffs,” it continued.
On the Iranian front, Trump said on Thursday that “I think Iran is interested in starting direct talks,” without further elaboration on his plans regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
