“Netanyahu knows who’s boss,” Trump says as he is set to meet with Israel’s prime minister at the White House | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (local time) that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested a meeting with the Republican president at the White House, adding that it could take place as early as next week.
Announcing the upcoming meeting with Netanyahu on Axios, Trump said, “We get along very well. (Netanyahu) knows who’s boss,” and said his meeting with the Israeli prime minister will take place after he returns from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
Read also | Rubio vs Vance? Trump’s cabinet deepens over Israel’s war in Lebanon
Trump to meet Netanyahu: Here’s what we know
Citing an Israeli official, the report said the proposed meeting next week may be too soon to take place as the US president is on his way to Ankara for a NATO summit on 7-8. july The official added: “It can be held a week after.”
The development comes after Netanyahu’s office called Trump on Friday (local time) to congratulate him on the 250th Independence Day of the United States. His office added: “During their conversation, the prime minister said that the United States is the guarantor of global freedom and that Israel greatly values the close relationship between the two nations. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet soon in the United States.”
The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu will be the first since the two leaders met in February in a dramatic Situation Room meeting where Netanyahu laid out his plan to launch a joint war against Iran.
Netanyahu’s upcoming meeting with Trump at the White House could prove beneficial for the Israeli minister as he launches his campaign ahead of the upcoming October elections, where he is currently trailing in the polls.
Read also | Trump fires shot at Israel: ‘They’ll do what I say’ on Lebanon
Trump-Netanyahu relations
Ties between the two leaders soured after the US announced a cease-fire with Iran in April, a move inconsistent with Netanyahu’s plan for regime change in the Islamic Republic. According to the report, those around the US president are now increasingly skeptical and disillusioned in the months following the February meeting with Netanyahu.
A US official said: “Many of Trump’s closest advisers think Bibi was wrong about everything.” In a phone call last month, Trump criticized Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon, calling him a “lunatic” and accusing him of ingratitude.
The strained relationship came as the two leaders, once close allies, fell apart in the past two months amid war and other regional issues involving national security and foreign policy goals, along with their political interests at home.
The US president also urged Netanyahu to halt the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) offensive in Lebanon, as the fighting became an obstacle to Iran talks, and to sign a framework agreement that sought the initial withdrawal of the IDF from south Beirut.
Despite Israel’s prime minister’s reservations about signing the deal with Tehran, Trump signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend the ceasefire with the Islamic Republic and open new nuclear talks, a deal Netanyahu was not part of.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that the US warned Tehran of a possible Israeli plan to kill its top negotiators, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, underscoring deteriorating relations between Washington and Tel Aviv.
Read also | The US has warned Iran of an Israeli plan to kill a leading Araghchi negotiator, Ghalibaf
Pending official confirmation of a meeting between the two leaders, attention will be focused on whether Netanyahu can woo the US president again and restore ties.
