Netanyahu Heads to Washington as Trump Pushes for Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire - The New York Times


AI Summary Hide AI Generated Summary

Netanyahu's Washington Visit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington to meet with President Trump is framed as a victory lap following a joint Israeli-U.S. operation against Iranian nuclear facilities. The visit, Netanyahu's third since Trump's return to office, is expected to boost his image, particularly ahead of an election year.

Trump's Focus on a Gaza Ceasefire

In contrast to previous meetings, Trump is now prioritizing a ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Israel has sent negotiators to Qatar to facilitate talks with Hamas.

Other Diplomatic Initiatives

The United States is also mediating discussions between Israel and Syria to improve the situation along their shared border.

Sign in to unlock more AI features Sign in with Google

For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, the meeting with President Trump scheduled for Monday will serve as a kind of victory lap after the joint Israeli-U.S. assault last month on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The White House visit — the prime minister’s third since Mr. Trump returned to office — is likely to add luster to Mr. Netanyahu’s laurels, especially with his voters back home, analysts said, as he soon heads into an election year.

But such trips have yielded surprises in the past.

The last time Mr. Netanyahu was in the Oval Office, in April, he sat somewhat awkwardly at Mr. Trump’s side as the president announced that Washington would be engaging in “direct” talks with Iran in a last-ditch effort to rein in the country’s nuclear program. That month, Mr. Netanyahu tried to convince Mr. Trump that the time was right for a military assault on Iran, but he was swatted down.

This time, Mr. Trump is eager to advance a cease-fire deal for Gaza that would see Hamas release hostages and would ultimately end the long war in the Palestinian enclave that was set off by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. On Sunday, Israel sent negotiators to Qatar, a mediating country, to try to bridge differences with Hamas.

The United States said it was also brokering talks between Israel and Syria aimed at restoring calm along their frontier.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Was this article displayed correctly? Not happy with what you see?

Tabs Reminder: Tabs piling up in your browser? Set a reminder for them, close them and get notified at the right time.

Try our Chrome extension today!


Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more

Facebook

Save articles to reading lists
and access them on any device


Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more

Facebook

Save articles to reading lists
and access them on any device