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A White House official confirmed Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington on Monday, following a stop in Budapest. Due to the surprise trip, Defense Minister Israel Katz will postpone his planned visit to the U.S. until after Passover.
Netanyahu is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the second time since Trump returned to office. If the trip proceeds as planned, the prime minister could spend over a week abroad while the war in Gaza continues.
The visit will coincide with a High Court hearing on Tuesday regarding the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. It also comes amid the ongoing "Qatargate" case investigation, in which Netanyahu's senior adviser Jonathan Urich remains in custody at least through Monday. Netanyahu’s full itinerary in the U.S. has not yet been confirmed.
The Prime Minister’s Office has yet to formally announce the visit and Netanyahu has not submitted a court request to delay his testimony in his ongoing corruption trial — though such a request is expected after the Sabbath.
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One of Netanyahu’s main goals for the trip is to reverse tariffs imposed on Israeli imports under Trump’s new trade plan, which rattled global markets. As of Saturday, a new 10% universal import tariff has taken effect in the U.S., with a higher 17% rate for 57 countries, including Israel, set to begin later this week.
The issue was reportedly raised in a phone call between Netanyahu and Trump while the prime minister was in Budapest. Initially, officials said the meeting would likely be delayed until the intermediate days of Passover, but by Friday it was finalized for Monday.
Two additional topics expected to be discussed during the visit are Iran and the Israeli hostages in Gaza, both of which are tied to a potential U.S.-brokered deal with Saudi Arabia and Trump’s planned visit to the kingdom later this month.
Katz was scheduled to meet U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and members of Congress during his now-delayed trip.