Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will today become the first foreign leader Donald Trump will meet with since he took office for the second time as US president on January 20, DPA notes. The Middle East crisis will be the first item on the agenda of the talks between the two in Washington, the agency adds.
Netanyahu arrived in the US capital on Sunday. "This is an important meeting that strengthens the strong alliance between Israel and the US and will expand our cooperation," Israel's permanent representative to the UN Danny Danon wrote on the social platform "Ex".
Recently, relations between the two countries have been strained due to the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as due to criticism made by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump is less critical than Biden of the actions of the Israeli army, DPA reports.
The war in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, 2023, when the radical Palestinian group "Hamas" carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel. According to Israeli authorities, nearly 1,200 people were killed in the attack and about 250 were taken hostage.
According to information provided by the "Hamas" Health Ministry, 47,000 Palestinians died in the subsequent Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip.
A six-week ceasefire came into effect on January 19, and the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and "Hamas" is now to be discussed. The Trump-Netanyahu meeting is a preparation for the negotiations for this second phase of the ceasefire, DPA points out.