By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington D.C. for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump – the first face-to-face meeting since February 2026 since the joint U.S.-Israel war against Iran. The two leaders don’t agree on the Iran war since Trump paused airstrikes to attempt a diplomatic settlement, but Netanyahu wants to continue military operations aimed at regime change. Trump is under enormous pressure with skyrocketing gas prices in the U.S. and economic pressures Just before he went into the meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday, July 28, Trump expressed his irritation with Netanyahu for publicly broadcasting intelligence about Iran’s underground “Pickaxe Mountain” nuclear site, saying: “I don’t need Bibi to tell me that…I know exactly what’s going on.” To add to that, leaked Israeli cabinet briefings indicate that Netanyahu is actively resisting pressure from the Trump administration to pull back Israeli forces from positions in Gaza, southern Lebanon and Syria.
The agenda includes coordinating future actions between the U.S. and Israel on Iran, dealing with Netanyahu’s worries about a U.S.-Iran deal and discussing the threat of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Regional agreements will be a priority to assess the implementation of the U.S.-backed framework agreement signed with Lebanon regarding Hezbollah. Another major talking point will be focused on Gaza reconstruction, reviving stalled diplomatic efforts concerning the future of Gaza and the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip. Both Trump and Netanyahu have a lot at stake with major domestic discontent in their respective countries. Americans have made it known that they are not in favor of continuing the war in Iran, especially with gas prices having soared above $4 a gallon while in California, a gallon of gasoline is now above $6 a gallon. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is up against a tough re-election battle in Israel’s October 27 elections and must balance his relationship with Trump who has become increasingly annoyed with Netanyahu’s insistence on not ending the war in Iran. Other crucial topics the two leaders will discuss are progess on negotiations with Lebanon and efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, a White House official told the press.
