Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Monday for crucial discussions with President Donald Trump. This meeting marks their second engagement during Trump's second term in office.
Among the key topics on the agenda were the financial implications of President Trump's sweeping tariff policies and efforts to address ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. It remains unclear following the meeting whether Netanyahu's visit will result in the U.S. easing tariffs on the country, but it could set the stage for other world leaders to potentially negotiate with the Trump administration.
Israel last week said it would remove its tariffs on imported U.S. goods, much of which are food or agricultural supplies. The next day, President Trump placed a 17% tariff on imports from Israel as part of his sweeping trade announcements. Those tariffs are expected to put a roughly $3 billion dent in Israel's exports every year.
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Israel "will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States," Netanyahu said on Monday, as well as a variety of "trade barriers that have been put up unnecessarily."
Netanyahu said he hoped the agreement could serve as a model for other countries.
"Free trade has to be fair trade," Netanyahu said.
President Trump framed the tariffs as a vital opportunity to reset the U.S. trade relationship with global partners, and alleged that American manufacturing and economic performance would eventually rebound.
The president said the government would fast-track approvals for the construction of new power plants and factories.
"We have a deficit with the European Union of $350 billion," President Trump said. "And it's going to disappear fast."
President Trump suggested exports of U.S. energy could go toward reducing that deficit.
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The backdrop of this meeting is significant, as Israel has recently intensified military operations in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu has stated that the country plans to expand what he refers to as Israel's security zone, raising concerns about the impact on regional stability.
Israel is working now on another deal to bring additional hostages out of Gaza, Netanyahu said.
"We're looking at another ceasefire," President Trump said. "We'll see what happens."
The leaders also reiterated their agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
The U.S. is "having direct talks with Iran," President Trump said. The first of those high-level meetings will take place on Saturday.
"Doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious," he said, alluding to the potential of military intervention to head off nuclear development.
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