Netanyahu visits Trump as US aid tensions rise before Israeli election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has landed in Washington, DC, setting the stage for a high-stakes White House visit on Tuesday. The agenda is heavy with tension as Iran war efforts dominate discussions right before Israel faces its October 27 elections. This trip marks Netanyahu's first time meeting President Donald Trump since both nations launched strikes against Tehran back on February 28. It also arrives while Israeli forces conduct more raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank, just three months out from voting day.

Political observers note that this is likely a strategic move by Netanyahu to secure re-election support from Trump. He has visited the White House more often under Trump than any other US president. The immediate reason for the trip involves attending the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away on July 11. Graham was a key ally in the Senate and a firm backer of both Israel and the war effort against Iran. His memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2pm local time.

Before heading to the graveside, Netanyahu will meet with Trump at 11am where crowds have already gathered along the streets. He plans to fly home to Israel on Wednesday. A White House official told Reuters that the leaders will talk about the ongoing conflict in Lebanon and recent Israeli strikes there. The president recently hosted the Lebanese leader last week. Israel claims it is hitting Hezbollah strongholds, while Iran insists no peace deal can happen without a full withdrawal of forces from Lebanon.

Alan Fisher, reporting for Al Jazeera from Washington, noted that many Israelis feel the US should push harder rather than make a quick deal with Tehran. Some Americans share this frustration. "Now, Trump has expressed his frustration with Netanyahu and has said several times that he feels the Israeli leader is not seeing the big picture," Fisher explained. He added that it remains unclear if both men truly agree on strategy or if they are actually moving in opposite directions. The outcome of their meeting will likely stay private for now.

The conversation could also cover the Abraham Accords, a series of treaties Trump began brokering during his first term to normalize relations between Israel and Arab nations. These talks happen against a backdrop of protests lining the streets waiting for the Israeli prime minister's arrival.

Only five nations have agreed to sign yet: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and Kazakhstan. Netanyahu is heading to Washington, DC while violence erupts across the occupied West Bank. Settlers attacked Palestinian communities over the weekend after a deadly shootout in Tal claimed two Israeli lives and four Palestinian ones. Since 2022, when Netanyahu formed his far-right government, settlers have pushed hard to expand illegal settlements. That push aims to win support from the extreme right ahead of upcoming elections. About 600 former Israeli officials wrote a letter on Tuesday for Trump. They claim he alone can stop the calamity brewing in the West Bank. The threat harms security for Israel, the US and the entire region.

Unless authorities arrest these agitators swiftly and decisively, violence will ignite wider regional conflict. A letter from Commanders for Israel's Security warned of severe ramifications. No one but you, Mr President, can avert this disaster, they wrote. CIS represents more than 550 retired colonels and generals from the army, Mossad, Shin Bet and other corps. Trump and Netanyahu once seemed inseparable allies. Last October, Netanyahu called Trump the greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House. Trump returned the praise warmly. During a 2025 visit to Israel, he joked that dealing with him was difficult but made him great. But cracks are forming now over Iran.

Last month, Trump reportedly called Netanyahu f****** crazy on a phone call. He accused him of undermining US diplomatic efforts to end the war in Lebanon and elsewhere. Trump told the Financial Times he calls all the shots regarding any peace deal with Iran. Israel's military escalation risks derailing those talks entirely. The war is deeply unpopular in the US, forcing Trump to seek an ending. Netanyahu could gain political capital at home if fighting continues. Regime change in Tehran remains a major sticking point between them. Alex Vatanka at the Middle East Institute told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu plans to sell regime change ideas again when they meet Tuesday. Vatanka does not think President Trump will accept that plan. The two leaders face collision courses driven by their own political interests.

Politically speaking, this war is deeply unpopular across the United States, leaving observers to wonder what Prime Minister Netanyahu actually gains from this upcoming meeting. He noted that past gatherings between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC often triggered a flare-up of tensions with Iran. It remains unclear if this latest encounter will finally break that dangerous pattern.

Vatanka explained that Israelis remain unhappy with the Trump administration regarding the memorandum of understanding signed with Tehran. The core issue is that Israel perceives an Iranian threat differently than Washington does. Israeli officials want Netanyahu to keep pressing Trump on Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs. The White House counter-argument is simple: there are limits to what America can do militarily unless it decides to occupy Iran, a move nobody really takes seriously.

Yet before leaving for the US capital, Netanyahu delivered a video statement emphasizing that complex times require both great determination and great wisdom. He promised discussions on all agenda items, with Iran taking center stage. His goal is to protect security while expanding the circle of peace around Israel. However, Israel has refused to withdraw from Lebanon, insisting it holds the right to bomb that country whenever threats emerge.

Tensions also simmer over the US-Turkiye aircraft deal. Al Jazeera's Fisher pointed out that selling F-35s to Turkey is a major point of friction between the two leaders. Netanyahu opposes this sale because he believes giving those jets to Ankara upsets the regional power balance guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and American posture. In an interview with Fox News in July, Trump stated they will sell aircraft to whoever they want. This sets the stage for a very interesting meeting at the White House on Tuesday.

So do these two leaders agree on anything right now? Frictions remain over their policies toward the June 17 memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran which called for a regional ceasefire including in Lebanon. A White House official told reporters back in February that the Trump administration opposes any Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu has brushed off these frictions, insisting their ties are fine. He praised America as a tremendous force for good during an early July Fox News interview, claiming there would be no democracy or freedom without it.

He acknowledged some differences exist between the US and Israel but called them model allies who respect each other. His relationship with the president is solid because they have ways to iron out disagreements. But an Israeli official told CNN on Monday that scheduling this meeting took significant time. Netanyahu received confirmation only after Graham's funeral was announced. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Michigan, Trump declared that Israel needs the US and asked who wouldn't survive without them before adding it is Israel.

Bibi's coming," he said. "He'll tell you."

"If I didn't get involved, if I didn't blow up those nuclear, essentially soon-to-be nuclear weapons to dust, Israel would have been terminated months ago."

Trump added that he and Netanyahu remain pretty close.

What happens next?

Amid frictions, it is unclear whether the meeting will end with Israel and the US continuing their war on Iran and Israel continuing its attacks on southern Lebanon, Gaza and in the occupied West Bank.

Therefore, it is going to be a high-stakes meeting for Netanyahu.

Sources have also told Reuters that Netanyahu would use the meeting to lobby for Trump's support for his re-election campaign ahead of an October 27 vote.

A meeting with Trump will, he hopes, showcase what has traditionally been a close relationship between the two leaders and could help Netanyahu at home, where he is struggling in opinion polls.