On Tuesday, July 27, 2026, President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in a meeting described as high-stakes and occurring during a politically sensitive time for Netanyahu.

The discussions were expected to cover the ongoing war with Iran, the framework agreement for peace in Lebanon, and initiatives to expand the Abraham Accords, according to a White House official. Earlier the same day, Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the meetings as “positive and productive.”

In the days leading up to the visit, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated in a video posted to X that the city lacks the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he attends the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Netanyahu, in a Sunday interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” emphasized the close cooperation between U.S. and Israeli intelligence services and indicated that many decisions rest with President Trump. He also issued a stern warning regarding Iran, stating, “If Iran attacks Israel, either directly or through proxies, either with ballistic missiles or UAVs or killer drones, it will make a terrible mistake, because our response, Israel’s response, will be very, very forceful.”

Additionally, there are allegations that Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas—charges that Israeli officials deny.

Asked on Air Force One about Netanyahu’s criticism of his decision to sell F-35 jets to Turkey, Trump responded, “Nobody tells me what we should be selling and not.”

Sources