Talks are underway between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office about a possible sit-down between President Trump and the Israeli leader sometime next week. That’s according to Axios, which cited a White House official and an Israeli source with knowledge of the discussions. As of now, though, nothing is locked in and no date has been confirmed.
This isn’t the first time a meeting has been floated recently. Netanyahu had actually requested time with Trump last week but wasn’t given an appointment. He ended up pushing back his Washington trip after the wake for the late Senator Lindsey Graham was postponed. Now Netanyahu is expected to travel to the U.S. capital anyway, this time to attend Graham’s funeral events, which include a ceremony on Capitol Hill and another at the National Cathedral on Tuesday.
Why This Meeting Would Matter
The timing here isn’t random. Trump is weighing whether to restart large scale combat operations against Iran, and any renewed campaign would likely involve Israel directly, mirroring the joint operation the two countries carried out under the name Epic Fury back on February 28. Given that backdrop, a face to face conversation between Trump and Netanyahu could play a real role in shaping what Trump decides to do next and how closely the two governments coordinate.
A Frequent Visitor Who’s Lost Some Friends
Netanyahu isn’t new to the Oval Office. Since Trump began his current term roughly a year and a half ago, the Israeli prime minister has made six visits there, more than any other foreign leader during that stretch, per Axios. Despite that track record, his standing in Washington has slipped. Netanyahu is currently viewed unfavorably not just among Democrats but also within segments of Trump’s inner circle and the broader MAGA movement.
The Bigger Decision Facing Trump on Iran
Behind all of this sits a larger question about where the Iran conflict goes from here. The first option is accepting a ceasefire framework put together by Qatari mediators, which is designed to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened. The second option is far more aggressive: launching a large joint military operation with Israel intended to push Tehran into surrender.
Israeli officials have said to the publication that they are getting ready for the possibility that the conflict could widen into a full, coordinated campaign within a matter of days. At the same time, they’ve been clear that Israel won’t jump into that kind of expanded war on its own. Their involvement, they say, would only happen if Iran strikes first or if the United States specifically asks Israel to join.