Netanyahu, Trump to meet at White House

7/4/2025 6:07

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday at 1 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) at the White House, according to a statement from his office issued Sunday evening.

The two leaders are expected to discuss several key issues, including the new tariffs recently imposed by Trump on Israel, the ongoing hostage negotiations with Hamas, potential tensions between Israel and T羹rkiye in Syria, and joint efforts to counter Iran and its proxy network, said the statement.

On Wednesday, Trump announced the decision to impose a 17 percent tariff on Israeli goods, as part of his so-called "reciprocal tariffs" on all trading partners. The day before Trump's announcement, Israel had lifted all tariffs on imports from the United States, but this step did not prevent Trump from imposing tariffs on Israel.

The United States remains one of Israel's top trade partners, with bilateral goods trade reaching an estimated 37 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, according to the U.S. Trade Representative.

In Gaza, a phased ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas collapsed on March 18 after Israel refused to move to the second phase and resumed air and ground assaults on Gaza.

Hamas kidnapped 251 hostages during its attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. According to Israeli tallies, 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with 35 of them presumed dead.

Efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States to revive talks have yet to yield a breakthrough.