US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to meet in Washington on Monday, with both leaders expected to frame their recent joint military strikes on Iran as a strategic victory. This is Netanyahu's first meeting with Trump since the Israel-Iran war, and the third meeting since the US president returned to office. Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu hailed the US-Israel coordination in the 12-day military operation targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. “Our joint mobilisation brought us a great victory over our joint enemy, Iran,” he said, as per The New York Times, adding that he was committed to “preserving the achievement.” Trump, too, is likely to emphasise the success of the strikes. On Sunday evening, he told reporters one of the topics on the agenda was “probably a permanent deal with Iran,” reported AP. “It’s a victory lap with a caveat,” Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat said, as per NYT. “Netanyahu knows the truth — that Iran retains some capabilities.” Gaza ceasefire The Gaza war, now in its 21st month, remains unresolved and could complicate any celebration over Iran. Trump has made clear that he wants to see the conflict in Gaza end, positioning himself as a peacemaker. The US has been pushing a ceasefire proposal under discussion between Israel and Hamas that could see a 60-day pause in fighting, humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the release of some of the approximately 50 hostages still held there. “I think that the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance that result, which all of us hope for,” Netanyahu said on Sunday, as per AP. He added that he was working “to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to.” Hamas has offered to release all hostages in exchange for a full ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal — demands Netanyahu rejects. He insists the war will only end once Hamas surrenders, disarms, and its leaders leave Gaza — conditions Hamas refuses. On Friday about the likelihood of a Gaza ceasefire, Trump said according to AP, “I’m very optimistic — but you know, look, it changes from day to day.” On Sunday evening, he said he thought an agreement related to hostages could be reached in the coming week. Peace beyond Gaza Trump and Netanyahu are also expected to discuss expanding the Abraham Accords, particularly efforts to bring Saudi Arabia and potentially even Syria into the framework, as per AP. Syria, under new leadership after the fall of President Bashar Assad, could be moving toward dialogue, and the US is reportedly brokering talks between Israel and Syria to restore calm along their border. The Saudis, meanwhile, have said normalisation with Israel would require serious movement on the Palestinian issue — making progress in Gaza critical. “The most important thing [for Trump] is to end the war in Gaza,” said Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel affairs at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. “That is the key to all the regional peace in the Middle East,” he concluded, as per reports from AP. (With inputs from The New York Times, AP)
