By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House today.
The leaders discussed pressing issues including the ongoing war in Gaza and the President’s recent tariffs affecting Israeli goods. Since Netanyahu’s last visit to the White House, Israel has fully resumed its war in Gaza and the ceasefire with Hamas that President trump took credit for, has fallen apart.
Netanyahu’s trip to Washington is the first of any foreign leader since President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on Wednesday. Trump imposed a 17% tariff on Israeli goods.
“We’ve been ripped off and taken advantage of by many countries over the years and can’t do it anymore. Just can’t do it anymore,” said the President in the Oval Office after the meeting.
“We will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States. We intend to do it very quickly. We think it’s the right thing to do,” said Netanyahu.
As Netanyahu aims to negotiate relief from these tariffs, his country’s 18-month war with Hamas continues to intensify. The conflict has resulted in over 50,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Protests took place in Washington D.C. and around the country this weekend. Thousands of demonstrators gathered and marched along the National Mall calling for an end to U.S. military aid for Israel in Gaza. Protesters also criticized how pro-Palestinian voices are being treated in the U.S.
“I’d like to see the war stopped, and I think the war will stop at some point. That won’t be in the too distant future,” said President Trump, adding that the administration is “trying very hard” to get remaining hostages freed while working on another ceasefire.
The administration says the latest escalation falls on Hamas.
“Unfortunately, what we have seen from Hamas is a rejection of many of these proposals,” said Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department. “We need to see Hamas release the hostages. We need to see Hamas lay down their arms. All of the violence we are seeing lies squarely at their feet.”
The international community will be watching what comes from this meeting very closely. Watching for not only any policy shifts that could impact the trajectory of the Gaza conflict, but also watching to see how President Trump moves forward on the 17% tariff for Israel after Netanyahu said his country plans to eliminate the trade deficit with the U.S.
President Trump was asked by reporters after the meeting if he was open to a pause on tariffs to allow for negotiations.
“We’re not looking at that,” said Trump, but added that many countries were coming to negotiate deals, including Japan.
