Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, amid a visibly strained relationship between the two leaders. This is Netanyahu’s seventh visit to the US since Trump returned to power, and he arrives as a leader facing reelection in Israel.
Strained Relationship
The close cooperation and praise from the start of the Iran war have given way to Trump’s expletive-laden outbursts directed at Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister has been working to secure an invitation to the White House for several weeks to discuss progress in the Iran war and warn Trump against diplomatic concessions.
Netanyahu plans to present Trump with fresh intelligence on the state of Iran’s nuclear and military rebuilding. He also seeks assurances that any arms sales to Turkey or nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia won’t compromise Israel’s military edge.
US-Israel Defense Pact
Netanyahu wants to move forward from the war to other things, such as a security agreement and perhaps normalization with Saudi Arabia. He believes that direct engagement with Trump can bypass disagreements within the administration.
The stakes for Netanyahu are high, with his country’s national election in October. Trump has long been one of his most valuable campaign assets, and demonstrating continued influence in Washington matters for Netanyahu.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
