Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning departed for Washington, DC to hold “critical” talks with US President Donald Trump on the next steps in Israel’s war agains the Iranian axis, and how that can eventually lead to “peace through strength.”
Israelis see the White House meeting, the first Trump will conduct with a foreign leader since returning to the presidency, as an opportunity for Netanyahu to help shape the new American administration’s foreign policy.
In early diplomatic spats with Canada, Denmark, Mexico, and Panama, Trump has signaled that his will be a no-nonsense presidency, and that continued good relations will be based on respect for America’s position. That is very much the outlook of Israelis these days in regard to their neighbors, and in particular the Palestinians, and there are high hopes of Netanyahu effectively communicating this to a willing Trump White House audience.
Ahead of his departure early Sunday morning, Netanyahu told reporters on the tarmac of Ben Gurion Airport that his meeting with Trump would “deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region: Victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages, and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world.”
But it’s not just about executing a war and achieving victory following the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust. It’s about reaching for a sustainable peace in the region, one that Netanyahu has long argued can only be achieved by demonstrating Israel’s strength and standing firm for Israel’s values and interests.
“The decisions we made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East,” noted Netanyahu. “Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better. I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace, and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength.”
Netanyahu will also meet with a number of other strongly-pro-Israel American officials who themselves wield considerable influence with Trump, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Senator Lindsey Graham.
In short, the reception Bibi and his message receive on this trip is likely to be the polar opposite of his experience with the previous administration.
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