Netanyahu Asks Trump for White House Meeting
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a meeting at the White House. The meeting could take place next week after Trump returns from a NATO summit.
Netanyahu Seeks Meeting with Trump
In a phone interview with Axios, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approached him with a request to meet at the White House. Trump said the meeting could happen as early as next week after he returns from a NATO summit. "We get along very well. [Netanyahu] knows who’s boss here," Trump said.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed that Netanyahu called Trump to congratulate him on the 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence Day. During the call, Netanyahu emphasized that the United States is a guarantor of global freedom and that Israel highly values the close relations between the two countries. Both sides agreed to meet soon in the U.S.
Context: U.S.-Iran Tensions
In early June, Trump warned Netanyahu that continued strikes on Iran could lead to Israel’s isolation. On June 17, the U.S. and Iran remotely signed a memorandum on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The document serves as a basis for drafting the details of a final peace agreement within 60 days.
On June 23, for the first time, both chambers of the U.S. Congress held a symbolic vote on a resolution calling on President Trump to stop the war with Iran. The resolution urges Trump to withdraw U.S. forces fighting against Tehran unless he receives explicit congressional authorization to continue the war or war is declared. On June 27, U.S. forces struck Iran in response to an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz; each side accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
