Netanyahu wants to meet Trump at White House after Iran war success
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to meet with President Trump at the White House in the coming weeks to celebrate the joint U.S-Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear program, three Israeli officials said.
Why it matters: Despite past tensions in their relationship, the two leaders are closer than ever and see the 12-day war against Iran as a monumental achievement — both for their countries and their personal legacies.
Two Israeli officials said initial discussions have already taken place between Netanyahu's advisers and White House officials regarding a potential visit, though no date has been set yet.
Such a meeting would provide an opportunity for both leaders to cement their narrative on the success of the Iran operation and discuss joint next steps in the region.
What they're saying: "There is a mutual interest from both side of doing a victory party after the war with Iran," one Israeli official said.
Another Israeli official said the visit could take place in the second week of July. A spokesman for Netanyahu said he was not aware of a planned visit to Washington.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Driving the news: On Thursday, Netanyahu's lawyers ask Israeli judges to postpone the prime minister's hearings in his corruption trial — which has been ongoing since 2020 — by two weeks.
"After the war with Iran, and due to regional and international developments, the prime minister needs to devote most of his time to foreign policy and national security issues, including the war in Gaza and efforts to secure the release of hostages," the lawyers wrote.
The intrigue: Netanyahu's request to the court came several hours after Trump posted on Truth Social calling for the cancellation of Netanyahu's trial — or for him to be granted a pardon.
It was a highly unusual intervention by a U.S. president in the legal proceedings of a democratic ally, and comes after Trump faced his own legal troubles — including a criminal conviction — while out of office.
"Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me. He deserves much better than this, and so does the State of Israel," Trump wrote, calling Netanyahu one of the great "warriors" in Israel's history.
Netanyahu, along with ministers and lawmakers from his coalition, praised Trump's call, amplifying it through press statements and social media posts.
What to watch: Following the ceasefire with Iran, Trump now has his eyes set on ending Israel's war in Gaza and promoting peace agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors, sources tell Axios.
"Trump wants a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza as soon as possible", one source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview on CNBC Wednesday that the administration is working to expand the Abraham Accords, a key diplomatic achievement from Trump's first term.
"We think we're going to have some pretty big announcements on countries that are now coming into the Abraham peace accords, and we're hoping for normalization across an array of countries that maybe people would have never contemplated would come in," Witkoff said.
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