Benjamin Netanyahu meets Donald Trump at White House for Gaza talks, tariff reprieve
Washington DC/IBNS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, becoming the first leader to personally plead for a reprieve from sweeping US tariffs.
Netanyahu and Trump will also discuss Gaza, where a short-lived US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed amid tensions with Iran.
Trump greeted Netanyahu outside the West Wing and pumped his fist before the two leaders went inside for a meeting in the Oval Office.
.@POTUS welcomes @IsraeliPM @netanyahu to the White House 🇺🇸🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/aqfURcHgH2
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2025
A planned press conference between the two leaders was canceled at short notice without any proper explanation.
During his last visit, Netanyahu and Trump both spoke to reporters in the Oval and then held a press conference.
This is the Israeli PM's second visit to the US since Trump returned to power.
Their meeting comes just days after Trump slapped a 17 percent tariff on Israel in his "Liberation Day" announcement last week.
On his way to Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu said he would discuss "the hostages, achieving victory in Gaza, and of course the tariff regime that has also been imposed on Israel."
"I'm the first international leader, the first foreign leader who will meet with President Trump on a matter so crucial to Israel's economy," he said in a video statement.
"There is a long line of leaders who want to do this. I believe this reflects the special personal relationship and the unique bond between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time."
Meanwhile speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said: "We're going to talk about trade, and we're going to talk about the obvious subject."
"There's a lot of things going on with the Middle East right now that have to be silenced," he added.
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