Netanyahu will head back to Israel on Saturday night after 6 days in Washington
PM extends his stay over Shabbat, when 3 more Israeli hostages will be freed from Gaza; invites House Speaker Mike Johnson to visit Jerusalem
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his entourage will leave Washington, DC, on Saturday night to return to Israel aboard the official Wing of Zion plane.
His six-day trip included meetings with US President Donald Trump and senior members of the new administration, along with congressional leaders and others.
As he almost always does on foreign trips, Netanyahu extended his stay to remain abroad over Shabbat, during which three more hostages will be released from captivity in Gaza as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Ahead of his return, Netanyahu met Friday with US House Speaker Mike Johnson, who he invited to visit Israel.
“You’re invited to Israel this year in Jerusalem. I know you’re busy but find space to do that. You’ll be welcomed with a red carpet,” Netanyahu told Johnson during remarks following their meeting at the US Capitol.
Johnson stressed US support for Israel, which he said would not be alone “so long as we are governing here.”
The pair were initially scheduled to meet Thursday, but the sit-down was delayed after talks that Johnson and other House Republicans held at the White House ran so long that he missed his one-on-one at the Capitol with Netanyahu, who instead met with Democratic leaders and other lawmakers as the speaker’s office scrambled to reschedule.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
