Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington on Monday, an unnamed White House official told AFP today.
The visit comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on nearly the entire world.
On Thursday, a day after announcing the new tariffs, Trump said he expected a visit from his Israeli ally “in the not too distant future, maybe as early as next week.”
According to the American portal Axios, Netanyahu is expected to try to persuade Trump to exempt Israel from the newly introduced 17 percent tariffs.
A large portion of products that the U.S. imports from the rest of the world are now subject to an additional 10 percent tariff, but starting April 9, the tariffs will become even stricter for certain countries, such as Israel, which exports heavily to the U.S.
Netanyahu’s visit also comes at a time when a new ceasefire in the Gaza Strip seems unlikely, as the Israeli military has intensified its operations, and tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program are rising.
The U.S. president, who has called on Tehran to negotiate over its nuclear program, has recently threatened to bomb Iran if negotiations fail.
Iran has expressed a willingness to negotiate with the United States but has rejected direct talks.
