Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump may celebrate victory later today after their recent joint strikes against Iran, which both leaders declared an absolute success.
But against the backdrop of their third meeting this year, the outwardly triumphant visit will be accompanied by Israel's ongoing 21-month war against the Palestinian armed group "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip and questions about how hard Trump will push for an end to the conflict.
Trump has made it clear that after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, he would like the conflict in the Gaza Strip to end soon. The meeting between the US president and Netanyahu could add urgency to the US proposal for a ceasefire being discussed between Israel and "Hamas", but it is not yet clear whether it will lead to an agreement that would end the war.
"The way the public perceives it will be very positive," said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. "But behind the celebration of victory lie some very serious issues," he added.
Before leaving for Washington yesterday, Netanyahu praised cooperation with the United States for bringing about a "huge victory over our common enemy." He expressed a positive view of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying he was working "to achieve the deal that is being discussed, under the conditions that we have agreed to."
"I think the discussion with President Trump can certainly help achieve the result that we are all hoping for," the Israeli prime minister stressed.
"Things are changing every day."
It seems that Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a new ceasefire agreement that would lead to a 60-day cessation of fighting, the sending of aid to the Gaza Strip and the release of at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the Palestinian enclave.
The persistent issue, however, is whether the ceasefire will end the war. For its part, the "Hamas" movement has said it is ready to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu has argued that the war will end once "Hamas" surrenders, disarms and goes into exile - something the Palestinian armed group refuses to do.
Trump has made it clear that he wants to go down in history as a peacemaker. He has repeatedly spoken about the recent peace agreements between India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and Rwanda, and Israel and Iran, brokered by the United States, and has made no secret of his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize for years.
He is pressuring Israel and Hamas to end the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, devastated the Gaza Strip, deepened Israel's international isolation, and pushed the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict further away than ever.
However, the exact details of the deal, and whether it can lead to an end to the war, are still being worked out. In the days leading up to Netanyahu's visit, Trump appeared to downplay the chances of a breakthrough.
Asked on Friday how confident he was that a ceasefire deal would be reached, Trump told reporters: "I'm very optimistic, but you know, things change every day." Last night, however, he seemed to temper his expectations, telling the media that he believed an agreement on the remaining hostages could be reached next week.
Trump and Netanyahu are more in sync than ever
These changes in mood are also reflected in Trump's relationship with Netanyahu.
Following the US president's decision to join Israel's war in Iran by striking Iranian nuclear sites, the two leaders are more in sync than ever. But that wasn't always the case.
Even during Netanyahu's previous visit to Washington in April, the tone was significantly different.
Trump then took advantage of the photo op with Netanyahu to announce that the United States was opening talks with Iran regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear deal, which seemed to catch the Israeli leader off guard and confound any Israeli military plans in place at the time.
He also praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a fierce critic of Israel, in Netanyahu's presence, and the two have made no visible progress on a trade deal amid the U.S. president's tariff hikes.
Last week, the U.S. leader, whose policies largely align with Israel's priorities, vowed to be "very tough" with the Israeli prime minister on ending the war in Gaza, without elaborating on what that would mean. Trump's pressure on Netanyahu has already paid off once, when a previous ceasefire agreement was reached just as the Republican was taking office.
Netanyahu must navigate a delicate balance between the demands of his American ally and those of the far-right parties in his ruling coalition, which hold the key to his political survival and oppose ending the war. However, given the strong US support for Israel's war against Iran, highlighted by joint airstrikes on a fortified underground Iranian nuclear site, Netanyahu may find it difficult to refuse.
Translation from English: Simeon Tomov, BTA