Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz US-Israel Relations
Israeli media reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump had invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the White House on February 4. If the visit occurs, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet with the newly inaugurated US president in the White House. This marks the first time an Israeli leader is the first world statesman to meet a newly inaugurated American president.
The trip has not been finalized and will depend on Netanyahu’s health as he recovers from prostate surgery, but the plan is for him to depart on Sunday and return on Wednesday.
Omer Dostri, the prime minister’s spokesperson, tweeted that the invitation had never been made.
“Contrary to reports, an official invitation for the Prime Minister to visit the White House has not yet been received,” Dostri tweeted in response to one report. “If and when an official invitation to visit is received, we will follow all accepted procedures. In the meantime, you can have a glass of water and relax.”
The Trump administration’s first White House press briefing on Tuesday did not mention the meeting. Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Monday that Netanyahu will come to Washington “in the not so distant future,” adding that a date would be set for the meeting “very soon.”
This stands in sharp contrast to the previous administration. Former President Joe Biden waited 28 days to call Netanyahu after he entered the White House. After Netanyahu returned as prime minister in late December 2022, it took Biden nine months to arrange a meeting with him, and even then, it was on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly rather than at the White House.