Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet newly re-elected US President Trump when he travels to Washington next week.
The two leaders will hold in-person meetings on February 4 at a crucial point for US-Israeli relations.
Trump is known for his vocal support of Israel and Zionism but is also reportedly keen to burnish his reputation as a peacemaker, with his team claiming credit for the unfolding Gaza ceasefire deal.
The agenda for the discussions has not been confirmed but the announcement has drawn stark contrasts with the approach of the Biden administration, which didn’t invite Netanyahu to the White House until 20 months after his victory in the 2024 Israeli elections.
David May, research manager and a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that “Biden and Trump started their presidencies at very different points of Israeli politics.”
“When Biden took office, Israel was in the middle of a political impasse, and Bibi didn’t return to office until two years into Biden’s term. Trump started his second term with Israel at war against genocidal enemies,” May said.
“That being said, the immediate invitation is a strong indication of the importance Trump and his team place on the US-Israel relationship,” he added. “Trump has started his term with several moves that help Israel and a return to not having daylight between the two allies in public.”
Meanwhile, Trump allies have heralded the announcement as a key signal of intent.
Rep Andy Barr (R-KY) said: “It’s crucial that America stands with our key ally, Israel, to promote security, stability and our shared democratic values in the region.”
And Sen Rick Scott (R-FL) told JNS that he was “very glad to see my friend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel and our greatest ally in the Middle East, slated as the first state visit to Trump’s White House.
"I look forward to working with President Trump and the Prime Minister on securing the release of the hostages and continuing the strategic objectives to secure the region,” he said.
It comes after Trump sparked backlash after telling reporters he suggested a “cleaning out” of Gaza which would see swathes of its population resettled, either temporarily or permanently, in Egypt and Jordan.
The comments were met with accusations of ethnic cleansing by pro-Palestinian groups, while even some Republican lawmakers dismissed it as “not practical”.
However, far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich, a longtime advocate of what he terms the “voluntary emigration” of Gaza’s inhabitants, confirmed his Religious Zionism Party was working on an “operational plan” to turn Trump’s idea into actionable policy.
