Washington - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday is receiving great attention. It is their second meeting amid increasingly tense regional and global conditions. The extent of the understandings between the two men, following Trump's imposition of 17% tariffs on Tel Aviv, is also under scrutiny.
The Likud Party leader arrived in the US capital yesterday after visiting Budapest and met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamison Greer, a move that reflects his concern over the tariff issue.
The Israeli Prime Minister stated in a statement on social media that he will discuss several issues with the Republican leader, including US tariffs, ceasefire negotiations, the release of prisoners held by Hamas, Turkey, Iran, and the International Criminal Court. According to the website of the European news network Euronews in Brussels, some believe that Netanyahu, who expressed his happiness at being "the first foreign leader" able to meet with the White House president regarding the tariffs, will face significant challenges in convincing him to back down, especially since Tel Aviv is one of Washington's largest trading partners, with its trade balance recording a deficit last year.
Regarding this issue, Netanyahu said, "I hope I can help on this issue. That's my goal. I am the first foreign leader who will meet with Trump to discuss an issue of such importance to the Israeli economy."
In this context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Netanyahu "is considering extending his stay in Washington after his meeting with President Trump," which may indicate the "difficulty of the task."
For his part, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he "will not back down from the comprehensive tariffs he imposed on imports from most countries around the world unless those countries settle their trade with the United States."
He explained that he would talk to Netanyahu about "trade and an obvious topic," then added sarcastically, "Do you know what an obvious topic is?" The Republican leader continued, "I'm just trying to do business to keep it low-key. No, well, there's a lot of things going on in the Middle East right now that need to be silenced. You know, we didn't have a problem with the Middle East."
He added, "We didn't have a problem with Iran. We didn't have a problem with anybody, and then October 7 happened. And that was all because, you know, Iran wasn't giving money to anybody because they didn't have money, and now they have a lot, so we'll see what happens."
Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to meet the 78-year-old president after his second term. Following their meeting, Trump made controversial statements expressing his desire to control the Gaza Strip and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Now, the meeting has taken on additional dimensions following the resumption of the war on the Strip, escalating military tensions with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and a more prominent Turkish player in the region.