U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that talks with Israel and other Middle Eastern countries were “progressing,” emphasizing that “some very big meetings” are on tap for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House on Tuesday.
The president spoke at a press gaggle on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland hours after Netanyahu landed there with a cadre of senior aides.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office noted that Netanyahu was welcomed at Blair House, the White House’s official and historic guest residence. The director of the residence, who greeted the Israeli leader, noted that this was Netanyahu’s 14th visit—the highest number of visits by any foreign leader since the residence’s establishment in the 19th century.
Netanyahu was scheduled to hold a high-level meeting on Monday with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, ahead of his meeting with Trump. It will be the president’s first meeting at the White House with a foreign leader since his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday, Netanyahu described the visit as a “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance” and his “personal friendship” with Trump.
He outlined key topics for their upcoming discussion, including Israel’s war against Hamas, efforts to secure the release of all hostages being held by the terrorist group, and strategies to counter the Iranian-led terror axis.
“The decisions we made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East. Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better,” Netanyahu stated.
“I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength,” he concluded.
Netanyahu on Saturday night spoke with Witkoff and the two agreed to begin negotiating the second stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal in Washington.
The PMO said that discussions would take place on Monday, on the 16th day of the agreement, “within the framework of which they will discuss the Israeli positions.”
“Later in the week, Witkoff will speak with the prime minister of Qatar and senior Egyptian representatives,” the statement continued. “He will then discuss with the prime minister steps to advance the negotiations, including dates for the departure of delegations to the talks.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has been invited to meet with Trump at the White House on Feb. 11, the Royal Hashemite Court announced on Sunday.
“King Abdullah II will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, after His Majesty received an invitation letter from President Trump last week,” the palace stated.

On Jan. 25, Trump called on Arab nations, including Jordan and Egypt, to take in more Palestinians from Gaza. Both Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have rejected the proposal.
An estimated 70% of Jordan’s 12 million residents are Palestinian.
Asked by a reporter on Jan. 30 what Trump planned to do to make the two Arab countries take Palestinians in, the U.S. president declared, “They will do it. They will do it. They’re gonna do it, OK. We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it,” referring to the billions in economic assistance the United States has provided to Amman and Cairo since the 1950s.