While the atmosphere of the visit will almost certainly be positive, it will mask a relationship between two leaders who are not terribly fond of one another and who certainly don’t trust each other. Both recall the contretemps that surrounded the last months of Trump’s first term as president. Netanyahu, urged on by the then-U.S. ambassador, considered annexing parts of the West Bank, believing that was consistent with Trump’s so-called deal of the century. But Trump wanted nothing of it, especially in the run-up to his reelection campaign. To add to the problem, Trump was later angered by Netanyahu’s congratulatory call to Joe Biden after he won the 2020 U.S. presidential election and his unwillingness to embrace Trump’s false narrative of a stolen vote.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, a boon for Netanyahu’s fractured standing back home. The two leaders meet against the backdrop of critically important yet shaky cease-fires in Gaza and Lebanon. Having pushed the parties to reach agreement on the cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza and having succeede
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