Wednesday | April 9, 2025
If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hoping for the kind of easy political wins he once enjoyed under former President Donald Trump, his recent visit to the Oval Office delivered none. He left Washington empty-handed.
The meeting’s main agenda was the newly imposed 17% U.S. tariff on Israeli exports. In a bid to soften the blow and sway Trump’s position, Israel had unilaterally dropped its own tariffs on American goods to zero just a day earlier—though those tariffs had applied to only a limited range of products.
Sitting beside Trump at the White House, Netanyahu pledged to swiftly remove trade barriers and close the trade gap. Offering his trademark praise, he declared, “We are going to eliminate the tariffs—and rapidly.”
But Trump remained unmoved. He pointedly reminded Netanyahu that Israel receives $4 billion annually in U.S. aid. “Congratulations, by the way. That’s pretty good,” he quipped—yet made no promises to revise the tariffs.
When pressed on whether he would consider rolling them back, Trump responded bluntly: “Maybe not, maybe not.”
For years, Netanyahu had become accustomed to headline-making gestures from Trump: relocating the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and helping normalize ties between Israel and two Gulf Arab states. Netanyahu was always eager to publicly applaud Trump’s decisions.
He proudly noted that he was not only the first foreign leader to visit Trump during his second term, but also the first to engage him on trade issues. Still, the meeting concluded without any clear outcomes or commitments he could tout back home.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment came on a familiar front: Iran. In the days leading up to the high-profile meeting, Israeli media buzzed with speculation that the two leaders might discuss potential military action. A bold front-page headline in Israel’s widely read Yedioth Ahronoth proclaimed “IRAN FIRST,” asserting that the Islamic Republic would need to be dealt a “heavy blow” to bring it to the table.
The presence of at least six U.S. B-2 stealth bombers in the Indian Ocean and a second aircraft carrier in the region only intensified the rumors in Israel that a strike on Iran was not just possible—it was looming.
In the end, Iran did dominate the headlines—but not in the way Netanyahu had hoped.
In a move that appeared to catch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu off guard, former President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Iran were set to begin talks on a potential new nuclear deal. Though Netanyahu had long been aware of Trump’s interest in engaging Iran diplomatically, the timing and immediacy of the talks—scheduled to begin on Saturday—seemed to come as a surprise. As Trump made the announcement, Netanyahu’s smile faded, and he glanced toward his advisers, visibly unsettled.
According to two sources speaking to CNN, the revelation was “certainly not” well received by the Israeli side. Whether Netanyahu had been briefed in advance or consulted at all remains unclear, the sources added.
Before returning to Israel, Netanyahu outlined his stance firmly: “We agree that Iran will not have nuclear weapons. This can be done by an agreement, but only if this agreement is Libyan-style,” he said, referencing the 2003 deal in which Libya voluntarily dismantled its nuclear program. He emphasized that if Iran attempted to drag out negotiations, he had discussed military options “at length” with Trump.
Still, the damage at home was already done.
“If Trump started the negotiations without our knowledge, it means he’s going to represent only American interests,” said Ronni Shaked, a researcher at the Truman Institute of Hebrew University. Had Israel been included, Shaked argued, Netanyahu could have contributed “ideas, new facts, new intelligence. But here—it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
Adding to the unease was Trump’s unexpected praise for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—one of Israel’s most vocal critics since the war in Gaza began. Just last year, Erdogan had called on God to “punish” Netanyahu and declared at a campaign rally, “We will send the person called Netanyahu to Allah.” His rhetoric has remained staunchly anti-Israel, and often directly anti-Netanyahu.
Nonetheless, sitting just feet away from Netanyahu, Trump lauded Erdogan: “I have great relations with a man named Erdogan. He’s a tough guy. He’s very smart.” Trump even suggested he could help resolve tensions between Turkey and Israel.
“It was especially embarrassing for Netanyahu,” said Alon Liel, Israel’s former ambassador to Turkey. “Just last week, Erdogan said he thinks Israel should be destroyed. It was a small moment in the press conference—but a meaningful one.”
In a speech marking Eid al-Fitr on March 31, Erdogan had once again invoked divine condemnation against Israel, asking God to “condemn Israel to misery.”
Trump did offer Netanyahu one lifeline politically. The two leaders said they are working on a deal to secure the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Trump emphasized Netanyahu’s dedication to the effort—offering a rare boost at a time when the Israeli prime minister faces growing criticism at home for not doing enough to bring the hostages back.
Trump expressed hope that the war would soon come to an end, saying, “I’d like to see the war stop, and I think the war will stop at some point—that won’t be in the too-distant future.” But for Netanyahu, a ceasefire is politically perilous. His fragile coalition depends on the backing of far-right parties that vehemently oppose halting the conflict under any circumstances.
Summing up the outcome of the visit, Ronni Shaked didn’t mince words. “Bibi is coming back home with empty, empty hands,” he said. “Not Iran, not Gaza, not the kidnapped people. Nothing at all.”