WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Donald Trump Monday afternoon at the White House.
Why you should care:
Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after he enacted tariffs on countries around the world last week.
Netanyahu is expected to address the tariffs with Trump. It could set the stage for how other world leaders address the new tariffs.
Israel announced last week ahead of Trump’s “Liberation Day” that it was removing all tariffs on goods from the U.S., mostly on imported food and agricultural products, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office. The statement said the move would bolster ties with its largest trading partner, the United States. Israel is not a major trading partner of the U.S.
Israel was still slapped with tariffs last week in spite of the preemptive move.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss major geopolitical issues including the war in Gaza, tensions with Iran, Israel-Turkey ties and the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader last year. Trump in February signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC over its investigations of Israel.
What they’re saying:
“This meeting comes at a critical moment on many key issues: the efforts to return our hostages being held by Hamas, the instability in Syria and the threats posed by Iranian proxies,” said Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter to Fox News Digital. “The recent implementation of tariff policy will also be discussed. Just as Prime Minister Netanyahu was the first world leader to visit President Trump in his second term in the White House, he is now once again the first leader to meet with the president with regard to deepening economic ties and putting trade relations in order.”
The Source: This story includes reporting from FOX News Digital and the Associated Press.
