With ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran at a standstill, President Donald Trump is expected to hold a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon.
Citing the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, AFP reported on the 3rd (local time) that Trump and Netanyahu agreed to meet in the United States for a summit. In a statement that day, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said, "Prime Minister Netanyahu said, 'The United States is a bulwark of freedom in the world, and Israel greatly values the close relationship between the two countries,'" adding, "Netanyahu and Trump agreed to meet in the United States soon."
The United States and Israel earlier launched simultaneous airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28. As the war dragged on longer than expected, tensions surfaced between Trump, who wants to extricate himself from the war, and Netanyahu, who opposes ending it. Trump is struggling to prevent a rise in oil prices and inflation ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is determined to use the war as an opportunity to completely root out anti-Israel forces in the Middle East. This also carries a political intent to redirect domestic discontent over his corruption trial toward an external enemy. If the war stops, the coalition government is likely to collapse and legal proceedings against Netanyahu are likely to accelerate.
Indeed, Israel did not halt airstrikes on Hezbollah, the pro-Iran armed faction in Lebanon, even in early last month while the United States and Iran were in the midst of ceasefire negotiations. It is reported that Trump then called Netanyahu and, using profanity, angrily asked, "What on earth are you doing?" On the 2nd, The New York Times (NYT) also reported that Israel had attempted to assassinate the Iranian delegation last April while the United States and Iran were negotiating a ceasefire.
