Netanyahu Set To Meet Trump At White House Next Week Amid Discussion On Palestinian Refugee Plan

Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House next week. This will be Trump's first meeting with a foreign head of state after taking over the office as the President of the United States. Notably, the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu is taking place at a time when Trump's plan to settle Palestinian refugees in Jordan and Egypt remains a topic of discussion globally. 

Trump has been openly supporting Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The newly-elected US President even overturned a decision of the former President Joe Biden administration, which barred the US from supplying 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. Following Trump's decision, Netanyahu thanked him. 

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning remains tentative, said details could be arranged when Trump's special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travels to Israel this week for talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

The White House had no immediate comment on the plans, which were first reported by Axios. Netanyahu's spokesman, Omer Dostri, said Monday on the social platform X that the Israeli leader has not yet received an official invitation to the White House.

An Israeli official, however, said Netanyahu is expected to go to the White House in February but did not have a date. That official spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.

Witkoff told an audience at the ceremonial opening of a New York City synagogue on Sunday that he would be travelling to Israel on Wednesday to keep focusing on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

“We have to implement the agreement in a correct way,” he said. 

“The execution of the agreement was important. It was the first step, but without the implementation correct, we're not going to get it right — we're going to have a flare-up, and that's not a good thing. So, we're going to watch it,” he added. 

The US officials said Witkoff is particularly interested in advancing the implementation and the release of Americans and others still held hostage by Hamas as well as shoring up the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.