Statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu following their White House meeting on Monday revealed that Netanyahu’s rapid trip to Washington was driven by the initiation of talks with Iran — not by concerns over trade tariffs, as had been speculated.
Trump had summoned Netanyahu for a private discussion about the developing diplomatic channel with Iran. His intent was to give Israel a heads-up and minimize the risk of interference or preemptive military action by Israel that could derail the talks.
Netanyahu’s attempt to address the issue of tariffs during his visit met with disappointment. Having traveled straight from a diplomatic stop in Hungary, he returned to Israel without any concessions on the matter. The tariffs will remain unchanged.
The announcement of direct talks between the U.S. and Iran likely came as a blow to Netanyahu. While Tehran publicly maintains that it does not trust Trump and refuses to talk with Washington directly, it seems the president’s warnings prompted them to reconsider.
Netanyahu was more receptive to Trump’s comments that any failure in the negotiations would spell trouble for Iran. The president’s remarks hinted at military consequences — a sharp departure from the more restrained approach of previous administrations — and Netanyahu appeared to approve.
Still, the Israeli leader left with little to show for his efforts. The tariff issue was unresolved, and Trump even brought up the $4 billion in annual military assistance Israel receives. However, he did applaud Netanyahu for easing restrictions on U.S. imports to Israel, suggesting that other nations should follow suit. The only concrete outcome was a vague pledge to continue discussing tariffs.
The summit also yielded no breakthroughs regarding the hostages being held in Gaza. While Trump condemned the brutal treatment the captives have endured at the hands of Hamas, he did not propose any actionable steps toward securing their freedom.
Trump once again floated the idea of relocating some of Gaza’s residents. According to the report, Netanyahu told the president there are countries that would accept Palestinians who opt to leave. Trump also expressed bewilderment at Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, saying he didn’t understand why Israel had given up what he described as an “incredible piece of real estate.” He speculated that it might have been for peace, but added, “we all saw how that worked out.”
As for Turkey’s expanding role in Syria, Trump remarked positively about President Erdogan and offered to assist if Israel encountered difficulties with the Turkish leader. This indicated that Washington would be willing to step in to help prevent a clash between the two regional powers.

{Matzav.com}