Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the United States next week for a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, officials confirmed. The visit comes after Netanyahu appeared at the Jerusalem District Court on Sunday to request a postponement of his corruption trial hearings, citing regional security developments.
Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump since his return to the Oval Office, underscoring the importance both leaders place on the U.S.-Israel relationship during a critical period in the Middle East.
The Trump-Netanyahu relationship spans nearly a decade of diplomatic engagement, marked by particularly close cooperation during Trump’s first presidency from 2017 to 2021. This period was characterized by unprecedented support for Israeli positions and multiple significant meetings that reshaped U.S.-Middle East policy.
During Trump’s first term, the relationship reached its zenith with Trump’s historic visit to Jerusalem in May 2017, when he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall. Trump described his Western Wall experience, saying: “I was deeply moved by my visit today to the Western Wall. Words fail to capture the experience. It will leave an impression on me forever.”
Throughout his first term, Trump hosted Netanyahu multiple times at the White House in meetings that resulted in significant policy shifts, including recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the U.S. embassy there, and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. These decisions marked a dramatic departure from previous U.S. policy and aligned closely with Netanyahu’s long-standing positions.
The current visit continues their close relationship; Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to visit Trump following his return to the White House in February 2025. The scheduled Monday meeting marks another early diplomatic priority in Trump’s second term.
The Netanyahu-Biden relationship from 2021 to 2024 was significantly more strained than the Trump years, characterized by public disagreements and delayed diplomatic engagement. Most notably, Netanyahu’s July 2024 visit was his first to the White House since returning to office in late 2022, highlighting the strained relationship between the two leaders.
The Biden administration frequently expressed concerns about Netanyahu’s judicial reform proposals and approach to the Palestinian issue, creating diplomatic friction throughout Biden’s term. Biden met with Netanyahu at the White House on July 22, 2024, two days before Netanyahu was scheduled to address Congress. Still, the meeting occurred against a backdrop of ongoing tensions over Israeli military operations in Gaza and settlement expansion.
Other significant meetings during the Biden era included a September 2023 encounter in New York to discuss bilateral and regional issues, as well as Biden’s visit to Israel in October 2023, during the early stages of the Gaza conflict. A final meeting between Biden and Netanyahu in January 2025 focused on Gaza ceasefire and hostage release negotiations as Biden’s term drew to a close.
The Obama-Netanyahu relationship was notably tense, characterized by public disagreements over Iran policy and settlement expansion. Obama made two visits to Israel during his presidency, but maintained a more critical stance toward Israeli policies compared to Trump’s approach. Unlike Trump’s historic 2017 visit, Obama never visited the Western Wall as a sitting president, a reflection of the different nature of the two relationships.
The Obama administration often found itself at odds with Netanyahu over the Iran nuclear deal negotiations and Israeli settlement policies, creating a diplomatic dynamic that was far more confrontational than what Netanyahu experienced with Trump.
While Trump made the historic 2017 visit to Israel during his first term, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Old City of Jerusalem, he notably did not visit Israel during his recent regional tour before taking office again, marking a departure from his previous prioritization of Israeli relations. This absence has been noted by diplomatic observers as potentially significant given the ongoing regional tensions.
The upcoming meeting comes at a crucial time, with ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and broader regional tensions involving Iran. Netanyahu is expected to meet with U.S. military leaders at the Pentagon on Wednesday, followed by meetings with members of Congress on Thursday, thereby creating a comprehensive diplomatic engagement across the U.S. government.
The timing of Netanyahu’s court appearance to postpone his corruption trial hearings reflects the intersection of his domestic legal challenges with international diplomatic priorities, as he seeks to focus on regional security issues while managing his legal proceedings at home.
The Trump-Netanyahu relationship has been characterized by particularly warm personal expressions of friendship from both leaders. Trump has consistently defended Netanyahu, even intervening in Israeli domestic politics. Most recently, Trump called for an end to Netanyahu’s corruption trial, stating, “Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me. He deserves much better than this, and so does the State of Israel. Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero.” Trump went further, declaring, “It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu.”
For his part, Netanyahu has reciprocated with equally effusive praise. “Donald Trump is the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House,” Netanyahu said in a recent video statement, thanking Trump for releasing military aid that had been held up. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that “Israel has never had a greater friend than President Trump in the White House,” emphasizing both the personal and policy dimensions of their relationship. This mutual admiration has persisted despite occasional tensions, including Trump’s past criticism of Netanyahu over intelligence failures and disagreements about military coordination.
This visit will test whether the Trump-Netanyahu partnership of the first term can be rekindled amid new regional challenges and domestic pressures facing both leaders. The meeting represents not only a diplomatic reset but also an opportunity for both leaders to demonstrate their continued alliance at a time when Middle Eastern dynamics remain highly volatile.
