Bibi's second-chance meeting with Trump
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters before departing for the U.S. on Sunday. Photo: Avi Ohayon/HandoutAnadolu via Getty Images
Benjamin Netanyahu will enter the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon for a second-chance meeting with President Trump, an opportunity for the Israeli prime minister to reset their frosty alliance and map out relations for the coming years.
Why it matters: Although they buried the hatchet during the presidential campaign, Netanyahu will seek to avoid reminding Trump why he developed an extremely negative attitude toward him during his first term.
- "A lot of time has passed and their relations have improved, but Trump still does not like Bibi, does not trust Bibi and has more sympathy for the Palestinians than one might think," a U.S. source close to Trump told Axios.
The big picture: Netanyahu is no stranger to the Oval Office and is likely the world leader who spent the most time there with U.S. presidents.
- Trump gave Netanyahu the honor of being the first foreign leader to visit the White House since his inauguration.
- Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu and his aides worked through a significant "build-up" and raised expectations about what they could accomplish.
- "I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw (the Middle East) even further and for the better," Netanyahu said on Sunday before heading to Washington.
Flashback: Trump's first term in office was a dream for Netanyahu.
- Trump moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, presented an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that was the most favorable to Israel ever and negotiated the Abraham Accords.
- Netanyahu drew quite a few political wins from Trump's moves, some of which took place weeks before elections in which Netanyahu was at a disadvantage.
Reality check: Not everything was rosy in the relationship. At a relatively early stage, Trump realized that Bibi was dragging his feet in the effort to reach peace with the Palestinians.
- Trump kept most of his bitterness about Netanyahu private for years, especially because his public bromance with Bibi was good politics.
- But when Biden won the 2020 election, the Trump-Bibi relationship suffered a severe blow: Trump was furious that Netanyahu congratulated his political rival for his victory.
- "F-ck him," Trump told me of Netanyahu three months after leaving the White House. For almost four years, he didn't speak to Netanyahu and after the October 7 attack, he even criticized Bibi for his failure.
- Only last summer, in the middle of the election campaign, did Trump meet Netanyahu again when he hosted him at Mar-a-Lago.
Zoom in: The main issue in the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu is expected to be the future of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
- The results of the meeting will have a direct impact on the negotiations regarding the deal's second phase.
- Netanyahu wants to convince Trump not to force him to implement the second phase of the deal, instead hoping he gets more time to dismantle Hamas.
Trump and Netanyahu will also discuss the Iranian nuclear issue. Trump has expressed a desire to try and reach a deal with Iran that would make an Israeli military action unnecessary.
- Netanyahu would like to get assurances from Trump that he will provide him with the weapons Israel needs to independently strike Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy fails.
- The issue of normalization with Saudi Arabia will also likely come up. For Trump and Netanyahu, a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is the crown jewel.
