Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled for a high-stakes White House meeting with President Trump on Monday, according to four knowledgeable sources who spoke with Axios.
This potential visit marks Netanyahu as the first international leader to personally engage with President Trump in an attempt to negotiate relief from the recently imposed tariffs. The agenda is expected to encompass several critical issues beyond economic concerns, including the escalating Iran nuclear situation and ongoing Gaza conflict.
For this visit to proceed as planned, Netanyahu would need to request a postponement of scheduled corruption trial hearings where his testimony was expected to continue. Sources indicate the visit remains tentative primarily due to these legal obligations.
Despite Israel's preemptive effort to eliminate all tariffs on American products, the country was unsuccessful in avoiding Trump's global tariff policy. The 17% tariff rate applied to Israel was calculated based on the significant trade deficit with the United States.
"Trump called Netanyahu and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Thursday while the Israeli prime minister was visiting Budapest," according to sources.
"The call was prompted by Hungary's decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), but Netanyahu also raised the newly announced tariffs."
During this conversation, Trump proposed a White House meeting without specifying its timing. Later, Trump told reporters that Netanyahu would visit "maybe even next week," catching both Netanyahu's team and some Trump aides by surprise.
While initial expectations pointed to a late April visit, possibly during Passover week beginning April 14, Friday discussions between both administrations accelerated the timeline.
Neither the White House nor the Israeli Prime Minister's Office provided immediate comment when contacted.
Beyond economic discussions, Netanyahu reportedly views the probability of a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement as "extremely low" and seeks alignment with Trump regarding potential military action against Iranian nuclear facilities should diplomatic efforts fail.
The leaders are also expected to address the stalled negotiations for a new Gaza hostage and ceasefire agreement.
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