According to the American news website Axios, reported on July 4th local time, U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested to meet with him at the White House. The meeting is likely to take place next week, after Trump finishes his trip to Turkey for NATO meetings. Trump also said that he and Netanyahu have “got along well,” and that Netanyahu understands “who the boss is.”
If this meeting actually takes place, it will be the first face-to-face contact between Trump and Netanyahu since their meeting at the White House in February this year. At that time, Netanyahu proposed a plan for joint military action against Iran to Trump.
Israel's Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the 4th, stating that Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Trump that day to congratulate the United States on its 250th anniversary as an independent nation. Netanyahu also expressed Israel's “great value” on the close relations between the two countries. The statement mentioned that both parties agreed to hold a meeting in the United States in the near future.
Netanyahu delivers speech to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Account X of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office
However, an Israeli official told Axios that due to the tight schedule of both sides, a meeting next week might be too early, and it is more likely to be scheduled in the following week.
Reports say that since their meeting in February, Trump's associates have become increasingly skeptical and disappointed towards Netanyahu.
An American official revealed: “Many of Trump’s closest advisors believe that almost all of Bibi’s judgments were wrong.”
Reports say that Trump harshly criticized Netanyahu over Israel’s escalating military actions in Lebanon last month, calling him "crazy" and accusing him of being "ungrateful".
