Overview
- The leaders spoke by phone and agreed to meet “soon” in the United States, a call that Netanyahu's office described as congratulatory; President Trump told Axios that Netanyahu requested the visit and said, “he knows who the boss is.”
- An Israeli official cautioned that the meeting’s timing is uncertain because of President Trump’s travel to the NATO summit and said the visit might occur the week after that trip.
- Reporting shows the public cordiality masks sharp policy disagreements over how to handle the war with Iran, Israel’s operations in southern Lebanon and U.S.-brokered ceasefire terms.
- A White House meeting would carry clear political value for Netanyahu as he begins his campaign for Israel’s October elections while polling shows him trailing.
- The phone-call agreement follows months of on-and-off diplomacy that included U.S. memoranda on a ceasefire and restarted Iran talks, and the meeting will be watched for whether it narrows those policy gaps or mainly provides a public display of unity.