Netanyahu’s Trip to Washington: Talks with Trump on Tariffs, Iran, and ICC Allegations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Sunday, March 17, to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that the two-pronged meeting will cover topics such as the removal of U.S. tariffs on Israeli goods, the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, recent tensions with Turkey, Iran’s threats, and the handling of International Criminal Court (ICC) allegations against Netanyahu.
Weezharoz-Kabul– According to the statement, if the trip proceeds as planned, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to directly negotiate with Trump regarding the removal of high import tariffs.
The 17% tariff imposed by the U.S. is based on a significant trade imbalance between the two countries.
Previously, Israel tried to avoid this penalty by unilaterally removing tariffs on U.S. goods, but this policy proved ineffective.
A senior Israeli official told the media that Netanyahu assesses the likelihood of reaching a new nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran as “very weak” and intends to use this meeting to coordinate with Trump on a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities if diplomatic talks fail.
These remarks come as Israel has repeatedly emphasized its opposition to the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA).
This trip comes at a time when the International Criminal Court (ICC) has recently launched investigations into allegations of “war crimes” against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials due to military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
It is expected that the Israeli Prime Minister will also discuss strategies for dealing with this case in his talks with Trump.
Analysts:
This meeting could mark a turning point in the recently tense relations between Washington and Tel Aviv, particularly due to the disagreements over tariffs and shared concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.
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