Israel’s Netanyahu to meet with Trump at White House next week
Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House on February 4, according to a confirmation from the Israeli government on Tuesday.
The announcement comes days after Trump demanded that Gaza’s population be moved to Jordan and Egypt, a request that regional leaders swiftly rejected. They compared it to ethnic cleansing.
Trump has taken credit for the tense ceasefire that came into effect the day before his inauguration.
Seven Israeli captives and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been released as a result of the agreement, which has so far brought an end to the fighting. Additionally, the pause has allowed the Palestinians to flee Gaza’s northern regions.
The Trump administration also provided a truce extension for Lebanon, which effectively extended the deadline for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the nation, which had been scheduled for Monday.
Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting with US President Donald Trump on February 4, 2025, at the White House.
The first foreign leader to be invited to the White House during US President Trump’s second term is prime minister Netanyahu.
However, the region’s high levels of tensions could lead to renewed fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon, where Netanyahu frequently threatens to start the war.
Trump said last week that he is “not confident” that the deal will hold, despite praising his role in getting the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
“That’s not our war, it’s their war”, the US president told reporters.
US military aid is distributed annually to Israel in the amount of billions of dollars. Trump froze almost all foreign aid, with the exception of military aid to Israel and Egypt, in one of his first decrees.
Last week, Trump also authorised the transfer of 900kg (2, 000-pound) bombs to Israel, which had been paused by his predecessor, former US President Joe Biden, in May of last year.
Netanyahu, a leader for whom the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued , an arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, expressed gratitude for that decision on Sunday.
The Israeli prime minister thanked you for sticking by your commitment to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, confront our shared enemies, and ensure a future of peace and prosperity, according to the Israeli prime minister in a social media post.
Trump has been staunchly pro-Israel. During his first term, he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognised Israel’s claims to Syria’s occupied Golan Heights.
Trump, however, made the pledge to pursue peace in US foreign policy in his inauguration speech last week.
“We will determine our success by the battles we win as well as the wars we win.” And, perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into”, he said after taking the oath of office.
Source: Aljazeera
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