President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet on Tuesday, with the Israeli prime minister facing competing pressure from his right-wing coalition to end a temporary ceasefire against "Hamas" militants in Gaza and by war-weary Israelis who want the remaining hostages home and the 15-month conflict to end, the Associated Press reports.
Trump is cautious about the long-term prospects for a truce, even as he takes credit for pressuring Hamas and Israel for a hostage and ceasefire deal that took effect the day before he returned to office last month.
"I have no guarantees that peace will last," Trump told reporters on Monday.
The leaders' talks are expected to touch on a long-sought normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia and concerns about Iran's nuclear program, but working out the second phase of the hostage deal will top the agenda.
Netanyahu's arrival in Washington is the first visit by a foreign leader since Trump's second term and comes as public support for the prime minister has been waning. Netanyahu is in the midst of weeks of testimony in an ongoing corruption trial that centers on allegations that he traded favors with media moguls and wealthy associates. He has denied the charges and said he is the victim of a "witch hunt." Being seen with Trump, who is popular in Israel, could help distract public attention from the trial and boost Netanyahu's reputation. It is Netanyahu's first trip outside Israel since the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for him, his former defense minister and the slain Hamas military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the Gaza war. The United States does not recognize the ICC's authority over its citizens or territory.
Netanyahu and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff began the difficult work of brokering the next phase of the ceasefire agreement on Monday.
Netanyahu said in a statement that his meeting with Witkoff and U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Walz had been "positive and friendly."
The Israeli leader said he would send a delegation to Qatar to continue indirect talks with Hamas, which are being brokered by the Gulf Arab state, the first confirmation that those talks will continue. Netanyahu also said he would convene his security cabinet to discuss Israel's demands for the next phase of the ceasefire when he returns to Israel later this week.
Netanyahu is under intense pressure from far-right members of his ruling coalition to abandon the truce and resume fighting in Gaza to eliminate Hamas. Bezalel Smotrich, one of Netanyahu's key allies, has vowed to topple the government if the war is not resumed, a move that could lead to early elections.
"Hamas", which regained control of Gaza after a truce began last month, has said it will not release hostages in the second phase without an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Netanyahu, meanwhile, says Israel is committed to defeating "Hamas" and the return of all hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.
Mira Reznik, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestine, said Trump may "have little patience for Netanyahu's political problems if they interfere with the broader goals of this administration.".
"The president began his term saying he wanted a ceasefire in place by January 20. That's what he got," Reznik said. "He is invested in this because he was able to take credit for it."
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is among the hostages, urged Trump to use American leverage to keep Netanyahu committed to the deal.
"I want President Trump to know that there are certain extreme elements in Israel who are trying to torpedo his vision," said Zangauker, who traveled to Washington from Israel to join a planned rally outside the White House on Tuesday. "We represent the vast, vast majority of Israel. The ultra-extremists are blackmailing the prime minister to do their bidding.
Since returning to office, Trump has called for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, although Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II have rejected the proposal. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting plans to relocate Palestinians from their territories in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Yet Trump insists he can convince Egypt and Jordan to accept the displaced Palestinians because of the significant aid the United States provides to Cairo and Amman. Hard-line right-wing members of Netanyahu’s government have embraced the call to relocate displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
Netanyahu met Monday with Trump’s ambassador-designate to Israel, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and evangelical leaders. Huckabee has long rejected a Palestinian state on territory previously occupied by Israel.
The prime minister is also expected to press Trump to take decisive action against Iran. Tehran has faced a series of military setbacks, with Israeli forces significantly destroying Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, and launching an operation that destroyed Iran's air defenses. The moment, Netanyahu believes, has created a window for decisive action against Tehran's nuclear program.
"This is one of the most important and critical meetings between an American president and an Israeli prime minister," said Eitan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, Israel.
"What is at stake here is not just the bilateral relationship between Israel and the United States, but the reshaping of the Middle East."