Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has landed in Washington for significant meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, focused on a wide variety of urgent issues. Tariffs, Iran, Israel’s Gaza conflict, and efforts to broker the release of hostages are on the agenda. The Turkey situation and war crimes charges against Netanyahu at an international criminal court are also to be addressed.
This trip comes on the heels of Trump’s surprise tariff announcement on April 2, when he unveiled new “retaliatory tariffs” against countries that have placed trade barriers against the United States. Netanyahu’s visit marks history because he is the first foreign leader to call on Trump following these developments.
In his earlier hint of April 3, Trump talked about the meet saying, “maybe even next week,” much to the shock of Israeli authorities as well as some from Trump’s own government, reports Axios.
As part of an effort to circumvent the newly imposed 17% tariffs on imported goods from Israel, the government of Israel had tried to lift all remaining tariffs on 1% of daily American products ahead of the tariffs imposition. Trump, however, proceeded with imposing the tariffs, citing the massive trade deficit in the U.S. with Israel and the fact that Israel stood as a central beneficiary of U.S. military aid.
Being Israel’s biggest single trading partner and best friend, the United States has had a free trade agreement with the nation for nearly 40 years, with nearly 98% of U.S. exports reaching Israel duty-free.
One finance ministry official stated that Trump’s recent tariff actions could significantly affect exports of machinery and medical equipment, which would be concerning regarding the general economic implications for Israel.
