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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to extend his stay in the U.S. to meet with Vice President JD Vance, his office said on Monday.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer traveled to the U.S. overnight to join the meeting that may be scheduled for Tuesday.
After he arrived in Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and trade representative Jamieson Greer to discuss the 17% tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Israeli exports to the United States. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) described the meeting as "warm, productive and in good spirits."
The prime minister will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House later on Monday. The meeting, set for the evening hours Israel time, is expected to focus on a range of strategic issues—economic, diplomatic and security-related—with particular emphasis on the hostage crisis, the Iranian threat, Israeli concerns over Turkish influence in Syria and the ongoing tariff dispute, officially cited as the reason for the visit.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick
(Photo: GPO)
Netanyahu is expected to brief the president on the countries that have agreed in principle to absorb Palestinians from Gaza, though some have demanded concessions in return beyond financial aid.
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According to Israeli officials, certain nations have requested the lifting of U.S.-imposed sanctions, while others are seeking support for their own strategic interests. Israeli sources say Trump continues to back his proposed plan for Gaza, which involves temporarily relocating the local population during the reconstruction phase—though it remains unclear whether those displaced would ultimately be allowed to return.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, arrive in Washington
(Video: Itamar Eichner)
Upon the Israeli prime minister’s arrival in Washington, D.C., a group of local protesters greeted Netanyahu’s motorcade outside Blair House, the official White House guest house. They called for the release of the hostages and an end to the war, and demanded that Trump apply pressure on these issues. The demonstration was initiated by the Israeli protest organization UnXeptable, and about 50 people attended, including rabbis and public figures from the local community. “Netanyahu is a danger to the hostages and a danger to Israel,” they said.
After Hungary ignored the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Netanyahu's arrest, other countries - including Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy and France - allowed the prime minister's plane to use their airspace on its way to the United States. The prime minister's flight avoided the airspace over Holland, Portugal, England, Ireland and Iceland.
- Daniel Edelson in New York contributed to this article