Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his delegation landed at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington on Monday, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Following his arrival, the Israeli leader was scheduled to meet with U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Macro Rubio for a “preparatory meeting” ahead of a closed dinner with Trump, expected to take place around 6 p.m. Washington time, according to the schedule.
The United States is pressuring Qatar to “deliver” on efforts to finalize a deal for the release of hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization, according to Israel Hayom. A source familiar with the matter told the outlet that from the White House’s perspective, with Israel having responded positively to the latest ceasefire proposal, it is now Qatar’s responsibility to ensure Hamas agrees as well.
The Israeli negotiating team in Doha updated Netanyahu’s entourage that the atmosphere of the talks regarding the hostages is positive. A member of the prime minister’s delegation rejected reports that the negotiations had stalled and said there was a good chance of reaching an agreement during Netanyahu’s visit.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told JNS on Monday that the prime minister “wants a deal” to free the hostages.
“It’s in the open, he doesn’t accept my position,” said Ben-Gvir, speaking with JNS at a Knesset meeting of his Otzma Yehudit Party. “I think that’s a big mistake. We have a disagreement on this subject.
“We agreed about [the targeted killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah, we agreed about Iran, we agreed on many things. On this subject, he does not agree with me,” he added.
Last week, Trump said that “we’re close to a deal on Gaza,” adding: “I think there’s a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the coming week. We’ve gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out.”
Looking ahead to his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said the two leaders would discuss a range of issues, starting with what he called the “great success” of Israel’s recent military operation against Iran. “We had an incredible success, like nobody’s had in many, many years. That was a precision war strike,” Trump said, referring to the American bombing of the Fordow nuclear site.
“The word ‘obliteration’ can now be used because the Atomic Energy Commission said you can’t even get into the place. It was demolished. It was really demolished. It was a great, brilliant strike, and [we’ll discuss] how to go forward,” the president asserted.
Religious Zionism Knesset member Simcha Rothman told JNS on Monday that there exists an opportunity, following the victory over Iran, “to create a new reality in the Middle East—and I believe there are no people more suited to do it than President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“I see many people talking about friction between them ever since the day Trump was elected,” Rothman continued. “It’s more wishful thinking on their part than reality. I don’t think we’ve ever seen an American president and an Israeli prime minister this coordinated, and I’m sure it will stay that way.”
Yesh Atid lawmaker Naor Shiri told JNS on Monday that the bilateral talks should “focus on the hostages, the end of the fighting in Gaza, the day after and the continuation of the campaign against Iran.
“I don’t think ‘Operation Rising Lion’ brought an end to the conflict or to Iran’s desire to harm us,” he said.
Shiri noted that while disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington are inevitable, “what’s important is how they are resolved. It’s essential to reach solutions without creating unnecessary drama.”
Netanyahu departed Ben-Gurion International Airport aboard the Wing of Zion on Sunday evening for his third in-person meeting with Trump since the president returned to office in January.
“In my conversation with President Trump, I will first of all thank him for his very strong support for Israel. We have never had such a friend in the White House,” Netanyahu told the press just before his flight.
“Our joint efforts have brought about a tremendous victory over our common enemy—Iran,” he said.
Israel feared for years whether it could stand up to Iran, and in the end, all branches of the IDF performed brilliantly, the prime minister said.
The success (intelligence assessments say that Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been knocked back several years) brings an obligation “first and foremost, to preserve the achievement—to remain vigilant against Iran’s attempts to renew its pursuit of nuclear weapons aimed at our destruction,” he said.
There’s also an opportunity “to expand the circle of peace far beyond what we ever imagined before,” he added, speaking of the Abraham Accords, the 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and four Muslim majority states.
“We have already transformed the face of the Middle East beyond recognition, and we now have the opportunity and the ability to change it even further and bring a great future to the State of Israel, the people of Israel, and the entire [region],” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also said that Israel will not let the Gaza Strip again pose a threat, and that means “the elimination of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. Hamas will not remain there.
“I am committed to all three missions: the release and return of all our hostages—both living and fallen—the elimination of Hamas’s capabilities, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” he said.
The Hamas terrorist group claimed on Friday it responded to the U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit.”
However, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said on Saturday night, “The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable.”
Netanyahu said before his flight that Israel still has a job to complete in Gaza. “To date, we have freed 205 out of 255 hostages, including 148 alive. Twenty living hostages remain, and 30 are deceased. I am determined—and we are all determined—to bring them all back.”
On Tuesday, the Israeli premier is expected to sit down with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and senior congressional leaders, per the schedule.
Netanyahu on Wednesday will meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, followed by an evening event featuring heads of Jewish organizations, evangelical leaders and senior administration officials.
