Netanyahu to travel to US on Saturday, expected to meet Trump on Monday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the United States on Saturday night, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

Netanyahu is expected to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday, the official added, but that is not yet finalized.

He will attend the Tuesday memorial service for US senator Lindsey Graham, an ardent Israel advocate who died unexpectedly over the weekend.

Netanyahu is eager to meet with Trump before Lebanese President Joseph Aoun does so, according to the Walla news site.

Aoun will be at the White House on Tuesday.

Aoun has refused to engage with Netanyahu as long as Israeli troops are still in Lebanon.

US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon wrapped up on Wednesday in Rome, with a State Department spokesperson calling this round’s two days of discussions “productive and positive.”

However, an exact timeline for when Israel will fulfill its pledges to withdraw from two small pilot zones in south Lebanon has still not been offered.

Netanyahu has visited the US to meet with Trump seven times since the US leader was inaugurated for his second term last year. This visit would mark Netanyahu’s first since the US and Israel launched their joint campaign against Iran in late February.

His office was expected to release details of his US trip later on Wednesday.

The White House has not confirmed the visit.

After longtime South Carolina senator Graham passed away, Netanyahu eulogized him as one of Israel’s “greatest friends,” praising him for his decades of stalwart support for Israel in Washington and for devoting his life to “defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world.”

A date for the funeral has not been announced.

A US official said Tuesday that no meeting between Netanyahu and Trump has been scheduled.

A potential meeting would be the pair’s first sit-down since Trump publicly insulted Netanyahu over matters relating to the fighting in Iran and against Tehran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. The US leader referred to the prime minister as “fucking crazy,” saying he had “no fucking judgment” and that he “knows who the boss is.”

Netanyahu has sought to downplay those comments, insisting earlier this month that “America has no greater ally than Israel and Israel has no greater ally than the United States.”

According to a report by the Kan broadcaster, Netanyahu is expected to stay in the US until at least the following Sunday, the date of the World Cup final match, which is being hosted in New Jersey.

The report speculated that the premier may look to attend the match as Trump’s guest, potentially alongside fellow Israel ally Argentine President Javier Milei, whose national team is currently in the semifinals, facing off against England Wednesday night for a spot against Spain in the final match. The report did not offer details of any specific plans for Netanyahu to attend the match.

That would mean Netanyahu would remain in the US for Tisha B’Av fast day on Thursday, the Jewish day of mourning that principally mourns the destruction of the two ancient Jewish temples that stood in Jerusalem and that were destroyed millennia ago.

Ahead of the expected trip, Netanyahu’s office asked Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker to postpone his scheduled visit next week, informing Vienna that Netanyahu would be in the US, The Times of Israel learned.

Stocker was slated to visit on Tuesday and Wednesday.