Israeli PM will be the first foreign leader to meet US president at White House since his second inauguration last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week, making him the first foreign leader to meet with Donald Trump in Washington, DC, since the United States president’s return to power.
The Israeli government confirmed on Tuesday that Trump invited Netanyahu the White House on February 4.
The announcement comes days after Trump called for Gaza to transfer its population to Jordan and Egypt — a proposal that was swiftly rejected by regional leaders, who likened it to ethnic cleansing.
Trump has taken credit for a fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza that went into effect the day before his inauguration.
The deal has so far seen a temporary end to the fighting and the release of seven Israeli captives and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The pause has also allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return home to northern Gaza.
The Trump administration also brokered an extension to the truce in Lebanon, which effectively pushed the deadline for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the country — originally set for Monday — to February 18.
US President Donald Trump has invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a meeting in the White House on Tuesday, 4 February 2025.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House during US President Trump’s second term.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 28, 2025
But tensions are running high in the region, risking renewed fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon, with Netanyahu regularly threatening a return to the war.
Despite stres