President-elect Trump wasted no time in claiming that his election was responsible for the accord even before it was formally announced in the Middle East. (AP Photo)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House next week, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
The visit, planned for 4 February, would make Netanyahu the first foreign leader to visit during Trump’s second term, though the Trump administration has yet to officially confirm the meeting.
Trump teased the upcoming visit in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, but didn’t provide scheduling details. “I’m going to be speaking with Bibi Netanyahu in the not too distant future,” he said.
This anticipated meeting coincides with a fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, following a deadly conflict that erupted in October 2023. The ceasefire, brokered after intense fighting, was credited by Trump as a major achievement following his return to the presidency.
In addition to addressing the ceasefire, the discussions are likely to touch on Trump’s recent controversial proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries, an idea met with strong rejection from Jordan, Egypt, and Palestinian leaders.
The ceasefire has temporarily halted hostilities, but the toll of the conflict remains staggering, with more than 47,200 Palestinians killed in Gaza and over 1,200 Israelis dead since the war began in October.
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