Netanyahu in the White House: What’s on the agenda and what’s next?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has traveled to Washington, DC, for a scheduled White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday. According to a White House official cited by Reuters, the two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict with Iran, as well as Israeli military operations in Lebanon targeting positions associated with the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. The meeting also comes as a secondary purpose to Netanyahu's attendance at the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump ally who died on July 11.

The timing of Netanyahu's visit carries political significance within Israel, occurring three months before national elections and amid intensified Israeli military raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank. This marks Netanyahu's first in-person meeting with Trump since the United States and Israel conducted military strikes against Tehran on February 28. According to Al Jazeera's reporting from Washington, Trump has previously expressed frustration with Netanyahu's approach to regional strategy, raising questions about alignment between the two leaders on key issues.

Beyond Iran-related matters, the White House official indicated that discussions would extend to the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic framework Trump initiated during his first presidency to establish normalized relations between Israel and Arab nations. To date, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan have signed these agreements. The official also noted that Israeli strikes and operations in Lebanon would feature in conversations, particularly given Iran's stated position that any peace agreement would require Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

Protests have been organized in Washington, DC, ahead of Netanyahu's arrival. According to Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher, the outcome of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting is not expected to be publicly disclosed, though observers remain uncertain whether the two leaders maintain consistent positions on regional strategy moving forward.