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US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Tuesday, for his first sit-down with a world leader since returning to power in January.
The two were set to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, Iran’s nuclear program, and the possibility of a deal to normalize Israel-Saudi Arabia relations.
The meeting will also be a chance for Netanyahu to chart a new course with Trump, who developed a negative attitude toward the Israeli leader at the end of his first term. “Trump still does not like Bibi, does not trust Bibi,” a source close to Trump told Axios. But the fact that Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his inauguration is ”a testament to Netanyahu’s diplomatic acumen,” The Times of Israel wrote.
SIGNALS
Trump’s Gaza population transfer proposal could benefit Netanyahu’s reelection campaign
The second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza, which began Jan. 19, is set to be a key topic for the leaders. Netanyahu is facing pressure from his coalition’s far-right members to resume the war, and Israel’s demands reportedly include wanting Hamas leaders to be exiled and a full demilitarization of the Gaza strip. Trump and Netanyahu are in broad agreement that Hamas should not remain in power at the end of a ceasefire, a Trump adviser told The New York Times. And Trump’s suggestion of moving Palestinians out of Gaza — a move strongly opposed by Arab states — offers Netanyahu a “clear political advantage,” a Haaretz columnist argued, and gives the Israeli leader the “central message” of his reelection campaign.
US set to impose ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran
Ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump is expected to sign a presidential memo to impose a “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran to prevent it from building nuclear weapons and restrict its oil exports, a US official told Reuters Trump should combine a tough approach on Tehran with an offer of a deal that includes sanctions relief in exchange for a massive reduction of Iran’s nuclear program, The Economist argued. US officials believe Iran has started exploring faster pathways to develop a nuclear weapon, The New York Times reported, which could allow them to develop a crude weapon in just a few months.