Netanyahu Trump relationship faces strains before Washington meeting
Analysts told Al Jazeera the Israeli leader’s Washington visit comes as US criticism rises and an October election nears.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Trump relationship is under new scrutiny as the Israeli prime minister travels to Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump. The meeting matters at home because Netanyahu has long used his access to US leaders as proof that he is uniquely able to protect Israel’s interests, according to Al Jazeera.
Netanyahu is due to meet Trump on Tuesday in his first Washington visit since the war with Iran began. Al Jazeera reported that the trip gives him a chance to project closeness with Trump while he faces a late-October election, a continuing corruption trial and unresolved regional conflicts.
Why is Netanyahu meeting Trump now?
Al Jazeera reported that the public agenda is expected to include Iran, possible US sales of F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye and a nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia. Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu’s political aim is also to reassure Israelis that his relationship with Trump remains useful.
Pinkas said Netanyahu had presented the trip as connected to attending the wake of deceased Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. He added that Netanyahu may hope Trump again calls for a pardon in his corruption case, after Trump made an intervention on Netanyahu’s behalf in November 2025.
Netanyahu has built part of his political image on his US ties, helped by his years spent in the United States and his command of American political language, according to Al Jazeera. Trump had appeared especially favorable to Israel and Netanyahu, including by becoming the first US president to agree to join Israel in a war against Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
Where are the strains with Trump coming from?
Al Jazeera reported that tensions have grown since the Iran war began, after reports that Netanyahu persuaded Trump the mission was feasible and could threaten the Iranian state. The war has since stalled, while Trump has shown more willingness to make Middle East deals without Israeli input, according to Al Jazeera.
Other disputes have added pressure. Al Jazeera reported concern in the US Congress over Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s increasingly violent settler movement, including the detention of a US senator by settlers, along with friction over Washington’s consideration of F-35 sales to Turkiye and a nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia.
An F-35 is an advanced US-made stealth fighter jet, and such sales can shift military balances among US partners. Trump pushed back on Israeli objections to a possible sale to Turkiye, telling reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday: “Nobody tells me what we should be selling.”
Netanyahu is also facing criticism from parts of the American right. Al Jazeera cited comments from podcast host Tucker Carlson and former Republican US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as Vice President JD Vance, who told Joe Rogan that “some” Israelis were trying to undermine a deal he was brokering with Iran to end the war.
Ahron Bregman, an Israeli security analyst at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu has become “toxic in the US” and is viewed by some there as having pulled Trump into a damaging war. Mitchell Barak, an Israeli pollster and former Netanyahu aide, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu has “burned a lot of bridges,” including among traditional Republican allies.
Analysts told Al Jazeera they do not expect a public rupture during the visit. The political risk for Netanyahu is that a polished appearance with Trump may no longer be enough to sustain his argument that only he can manage Israel’s most important foreign relationship.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.