JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sitting down with President Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington — their first in-person meeting since the two leaders launched a joint military campaign against Iran together. The meeting is seen as an opportunity for Netanyahu to repair what has become a noticeably strained relationship.
Both leaders are navigating significant pressure on the home front. Netanyahu faces a reelection battle, and his standing has been hurt in part by his rocky relationship with Trump. Meanwhile, Trump is dealing with growing public opposition to the Iran war, which has rattled the economy and pushed prices higher — all ahead of November’s midterm elections.
According to a White House official who spoke anonymously to preview the meeting, the two leaders also plan to discuss a framework agreement signed with Lebanon related to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, as well as efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.
When reporters asked Trump on Monday whether he and Netanyahu were aligned on Iran, the president acknowledged a gap. “We have a little difference,” Trump said. “But pretty close, yeah.”
Trump and Netanyahu have had an up-and-down relationship over the years, but when Trump returned to the White House last year, they appeared more united than ever. When they launched the Iran war together in February, both presented a unified front, describing their militaries as working in step to remove Iran’s leadership and open the door to a government more favorable to the West.
That unity began to fracture as Iran struck back — launching drones and missiles at U.S. military bases and buildings in Gulf cities, and cutting off the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation put enormous pressure on Trump from allies in the region and from within the U.S. to bring the conflict to a close.
Netanyahu, who favored pressing on with the fight against Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, has since found himself on the sidelines as Trump pursued a deal with Tehran. Tensions between Netanyahu and Vice President JD Vance have also become increasingly public.
Israeli journalist and political analyst Amit Segal captured the mood in a piece published Monday in the Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom. “The Americans are making it clear to the Israelis they are the ones who are running the war,” Segal wrote. “It is clear to everyone that Israel has been put in the back seat.”
As U.S.-Iran tensions have flared again in recent weeks, Netanyahu intends to present Trump with Israeli intelligence regarding Iran’s nuclear program, according to a source familiar with the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Netanyahu appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo over the weekend, saying he looked forward to sitting down with Trump “to hear what he has in mind” regarding Iran. “Because I think, in many ways, it’s his decision” on how to proceed, Netanyahu said. “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not?” He added: “But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program.” Netanyahu also used the interview to put Iran on notice, warning that any attack on Israel would be met with a response that would be “very forceful.”
Even as Netanyahu looks for an opening, he also faces the challenge of convincing Trump that Israel won’t undermine U.S. diplomatic and rebuilding efforts in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump has previously complained that “too many people are being killed” by Israeli strikes in those areas.
Israel has recently taken steps in both regions. In Lebanon, where Israeli forces occupy much of the southern part of the country, Israel agreed to allow the Lebanese army to move into certain villages as part of a “pilot program” testing their ability to secure areas previously controlled by Hezbollah. The U.S. State Department announced Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held next week in Rome, focusing on expanding that program.
In Gaza, Israel’s security cabinet approved a measure on Sunday that would, in principle, allow the first members of an international stabilization force to enter — a force that was outlined in a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas reached last year. However, few nations have committed troops to the force, and Israel would evaluate each country’s entry on a case-by-case basis. The troops — including those from Morocco and Uganda — would only be permitted to operate in a limited, largely desolate area in southern Rafah, where the plan calls for screening and housing some displaced Palestinians.
Israeli military operations have continued, with strikes the military says are aimed at militants but that have also resulted in civilian deaths.
Israel has seen a sharp decline in bipartisan American support, especially over its actions in Gaza. In June, Vice President Vance warned Israeli officials that Trump was their only ally among world leaders. Vance is expected to be present at Tuesday’s meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.
An AP-NORC poll released earlier this month showed a dramatic drop in support for Israel among American adults. “We’ve lost America. Thank you, Bibi,” wrote Ben Caspit, a political commentator for Israel’s Maariv newspaper.
