Trump flouts political risk to host Netanyahu’s seventh White House visit

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, marking Netanyahu’s seventh White House visit of Trump’s second term. The meeting, in Washington, DC, is their first since the United States and Israel launched a war with Iran on February 28, a conflict Al Jazeera describes as increasingly unpopular with the US public and a source of concern inside parts of Trump’s Republican coalition.

The visit was announced late last week while Netanyahu was already expected in Washington for the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent congressional supporter of Israel. Al Jazeera cites recent polling showing growing Republican unease over US policy toward Israel, including a Politico survey in which only about one-third of self-identified MAGA voters said the economic costs of the Iran war were justified. Analysts quoted by the outlet said the optics could carry risk for Trump ahead of midterm elections.

The meeting also comes as Trump has signalled renewed diplomacy with Iran after a June 17 US-Iran memorandum to halt fighting collapsed and was followed by 13 days of escalation. Al Jazeera reports that Netanyahu’s government opposed that understanding and has pushed a harder line on Iran’s nuclear programme, while Trump has recently sought ways to portray the conflict as a success and reduce further escalation.

For Netanyahu, Al Jazeera’s analysts said the Oval Office appearance may help project influence before expected Israeli elections in October. The agenda is expected to focus mainly on Iran, but Gaza, Lebanon and rising settler violence in the occupied West Bank may also feature, amid US-backed efforts tied to Gaza security arrangements and an Israel-Lebanon agreement.