U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands before addressing journalists during a joint news conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Credit: Jim Watson/AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Monday for the United States for discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to an official Israeli statement.
Netanyahu is visiting Washington at Trump’s invitation and will discuss “issues of mutual interest to Israel and the U.S.,” according to the statement. This will be Netanyahu's 7th official state visit to the U.S. since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Their talks are expected to focus on the continuation of the U.S. war against Iran, which Israel and U.S. jointly launched on Feb. 28, the fragile diplomatic efforts regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia's nuclear ambitions, and the growing political cost of their relationship.
The visit comes one week after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited Trump at the White House for his first direct meeting with the U.S. president.
The Israeli prime minister said on Sunday he plans to attend the U.N. General Assembly despite calls for his arrest by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani last week published an impassioned speech in which he called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and urged the current U.S. administration to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him if he enters the country.
Trump retorted by saying that Netanyahu would “not be arrested” while visiting the United States.
Officially, the trip will include attending the funeral services for Lindsey Graham, the far-right, war hawk Republican senator from South Carolina who died earlier in July and was one of Israel's staunchest supporters in Washington.
