US-Israel ties: What Netanyahu and Trump will discuss in Florida

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu volition sojourn the United States to conscionable with President Donald Trump arsenic determination turmoil approaches a boiling constituent amid Israel’s attacks successful Palestine, Lebanon and Syria and mounting tensions with Iran.

Netanyahu is to clasp talks with Trump astatine the president’s Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida connected Monday arsenic Washington pushes to implicit the archetypal signifier of the Gaza truce.

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The sojourn comes arsenic the US continues to prosecute its 20-point “peace plan” successful the Palestinian enclave contempt near-daily Israeli violations of the truce.

Israel is besides escalating attacks successful the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Syria arsenic Israeli officials suggest that different warfare with Iran is possible.

What volition Netanyahu sermon with Trump, and wherever bash US-Israel ties stand?

Al Jazeera looks astatine the premier minister’s travel to the US and however it whitethorn play out.

When volition Netanyahu arrive?

The Israeli premier curate volition get successful the US connected Sunday. However, the talks volition not instrumentality spot astatine the White House. Instead, Netanyahu volition conscionable Trump successful Florida, wherever the US president is spending the holidays.

The gathering betwixt the 2 leaders is expected to instrumentality spot connected Monday.

How galore times has Netanyahu visited Trump?

This volition beryllium Netanyahu’s 5th sojourn to the US successful 10 months. The Israeli premier curate has been hosted by Trump much than immoderate different satellite leader.

In February, helium became the archetypal overseas person to sojourn the White House aft Trump returned to the presidency.

He visited again successful April and July. In September, helium besides met with Trump successful Washington, DC, after the United Nations General Assembly successful New York.

What has the narration betwixt Trump and Netanyahu been similar truthful far?

Netanyahu often says Trump is the champion person Israel has ever had successful the White House.

During his archetypal term, Trump pushed US argumentation further successful favour of Israel’s right-wing government. He moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognised and claimed Israeli sovereignty implicit Syria’s occupied Golan Heights and chopped disconnected backing to the United Nations bureau for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Since returning to the White House this year, Trump has shown a greater willingness to publically disagree with Netanyahu. Still, his medication has provided unflinching enactment for Israel, including the determination to renew the genocidal warfare connected Gaza successful March aft a little ceasefire.

Trump joined the Israeli onslaught connected Iran successful June to the dismay of immoderate segments of his base. And helium pushed to unafraid the existent truce successful Gaza.

The US president besides opposed the Israeli attack connected Doha successful September. And helium swiftly lifted sanctions against Syria contempt immoderate evident Israeli reservations.

The ties betwixt the 2 leaders person seen immoderate peaks and valleys. In 2020, Trump was irked erstwhile Netanyahu rushed to congratulate Joe Biden connected his predetermination triumph against Trump, who has falsely insisted the predetermination was fraudulent.

“I haven’t spoken to him [Netanyahu] since,” Trump told the Axios quality tract successful 2021. “F*** him.”

The beardown ties betwixt the 2 leaders were rekindled aft Trump won the presidency again successful 2024 and unleashed a crackdown connected Palestinian rights activists successful the US.

In November, Trump formally asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges astatine home.

The 2 leaders, however, are not successful implicit alignment, and cracks successful their positions are showing up implicit issues that see Gaza, Syria and the US partnerships with Turkiye and the Gulf states.

During his US visit, Netanyahu whitethorn question to flatter Trump and task a lukewarm narration with the US president to beforehand his docket and awesome to his governmental rivals successful Israel that helium inactive enjoys enactment from Washington.

How has Netanyahu dealt with the US since October 7, 2023?

Since the outbreak of the warfare successful Gaza, Netanyahu has asked for unchecked US diplomatic and subject support.

Then-President Biden travelled to Israel 11 days aft Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks connected confederate Israel, and helium declared that enactment for the US state is “vital for America’s nationalist security”.

His “bear hug” of Netanyahu connected accomplishment astatine the airdrome successful Tel Aviv would acceptable the signifier for the US backing of Israel arsenic it unleashed fearfulness and demolition connected Gaza, which has translated into much than $21bn successful subject assistance and aggregate vetoes astatine the UN Security Council implicit the past 2 years.

Netanyahu has seized connected the conception that Israel is an hold of US interests and information structure. In a code to the US Congress past year, the premier curate argued that Israel is warring Iran indirectly successful Gaza and Lebanon.

“We’re not lone protecting ourselves. We’re protecting you,” helium told US lawmakers.

Throughout the war, determination person been countless reports that Biden and Trump person been displeased oregon aggravated with Netanyahu. But US weapons and governmental backing for Israel person continued to travel uninterrupted. And Netanyahu makes a constituent of ever expressing gratitude to US presidents, adjacent erstwhile determination whitethorn beryllium evident tensions.

Where does the US basal connected the Gaza truce?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said past week that the apical precedence for the Trump medication is to implicit the archetypal signifier of the Gaza ceasefire and determination from specified cessation of hostilities to semipermanent governance, stabilisation and reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has been violating the ceasefire successful Gaza regularly, precocious sidesplitting astatine slightest six Palestinians successful an onslaught that targeted a wedding.

But Trump, who claims to person brought bid to the Middle East for the archetypal clip in 3,000 years, has focused connected broadly moving the truce guardant alternatively than connected Israel’s regular conduct.

“No 1 is arguing that the presumption quo is sustainable successful the agelong term, nor desirable, and that’s wherefore we person a consciousness of urgency astir bringing signifier 1 to its afloat completion,” Rubio said past week.

The apical US diplomat has besides suggested that determination could beryllium immoderate flexibility erstwhile it comes to disarming Hamas nether the agreement, saying the “baseline” should beryllium ensuring that the radical does not airs a menace to Israel alternatively than removing the guns of each fighter.

But Israel appears to beryllium operating with a antithetic acceptable of priorities. Defence Minister Israel Katz said connected Tuesday that the state is looking to re-establish settlements successful Gaza, which are amerciable nether planetary law.

He aboriginal walked backmost those comments but stressed that Israel would support a imperishable subject beingness successful the territory, which would interruption the Trump plan.

Expect Gaza to beryllium a cardinal taxable of treatment betwixt Netanyahu and Trump.

Can a Syria statement beryllium reached?

Trump has virtually and figuratively embraced Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa implicit the past year, lifting sanctions against the state and opening information practice with his government’s information forces.

But Israel is pursuing its ain docket successful Syria. Hours aft the illness of the authorities of erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad a twelvemonth ago, Israel began expanding its concern of Syria beyond the Golan Heights.

Although the caller Syrian authorities stressed aboriginal connected that they did not question confrontation with Israel, the Israeli subject launched a bombardment run against Syria’s authorities and subject institutions.

Israeli forces person besides been conducting raids successful confederate Syria and abducting and disappearing residents.

After the Israeli subject killed 13 Syrians successful an aerial raid past month, Trump issued a veiled criticism of Israel.

“It is precise important that Israel support a beardown and existent dialog with Syria and that thing takes spot that volition interfere with Syria’s improvement into a prosperous state,” helium said.

Syria and Israel were successful talks earlier this twelvemonth to found a information statement abbreviated of afloat diplomatic normalisation. But the negotiations appeared to illness aft Israeli leaders insisted connected holding onto the onshore captured aft al-Assad’s fall.

With Netanyahu successful town, Trump volition apt renew the propulsion for a Syria-Israel agreement.

Why is Iran backmost successful the headlines?

Netanyahu’s sojourn comes amid louder alarm bells successful Israel astir Iran rebuilding its rocket capableness aft their 12-day warfare successful June.

NBC News reported past week that the Israeli premier curate volition little the US president astir much imaginable strikes against Iran.

The pro-Israel campy successful Trump’s orbit seems to beryllium already mobilising rhetorically against Iran’s rocket programme.

US Senator Lindsey Graham visited Israel this period and called Iran’s missiles a “real threat” to Israel.

“This travel is astir elevating the hazard ballistic missiles airs to Israel,” Graham told The Jerusalem Post.

Trump authorised strikes against Iran’s atomic sites during the June war, which helium said “obliterated” the Iranian nuclear programme.

Although determination is nary grounds that Iran has been weaponising its atomic programme, fears astir a imaginable Iranian atomic weaponry were the driving nationalist justification for the US engagement successful the conflict.

So it volition beryllium hard for Netanyahu to transportation Trump to backmost a warfare against Iran, said Sina Toossi, a elder chap astatine the Center for International Policy.

The president is portraying himself arsenic a peacemaker and prioritising a imaginable confrontation with Venezuela.

“It could conscionable arsenic good backfire connected Netanyahu,” Toossi said of the propulsion for much strikes against Iran. But helium underscored that Trump is “unpredictable”, and helium has surrounded himself with pro-Israel hawks, including Rubio.

What is the authorities of US-Israel relations?

Despite increasing dissent connected the near and close of the US governmental spectrum, Trump’s enactment for Israel remains unwavering.

This month, the US Congress passed a subject spending measure that includes $600m successful subject assistance to Israel.

The Trump medication has continued to debar adjacent verbal disapproval of Israel’s assertive behaviour successful the region, including Gaza ceasefire violations and the enlargement of amerciable settlements successful the West Bank.

At a White House Hanukkah solemnisation connected December 16, Trump bemoaned the increasing scepticism of unconditional enactment for Israel successful Congress, falsely likening it to anti-Semitism.

“If you spell backmost 10, 12, 15 years ago, astatine the most, the strongest lobby successful Washington was the Jewish lobby. It was Israel. That’s nary longer true,” Trump said.

“You person to beryllium precise careful. You person a Congress successful peculiar which is becoming anti-Semitic.”

Despite Trump’s position, analysts said the spread betwixt the strategical priorities of the US and Israel is growing.

While Washington is pushing for economical practice successful the Middle East, Israel is seeking “total dominance” implicit the region, including US partners successful the Gulf, Toossi said.

“Israel is pushing this uncompromising posture and strategical nonsubjective that I deliberation is going to travel to a caput much with halfway US interests,” Toossi told Al Jazeera.

What’s adjacent for the US-Israel alliance?

If you thrust down Independence Avenue successful Washington, DC, you volition apt spot much Israeli than American flags displayed connected the windows of legislature offices.

Despite the shifting nationalist opinion, Israel inactive has overwhelming enactment successful Congress and the White House. And though disapproval of Israel is increasing wrong the Republican base, Israel’s detractors person been pushed to the margins of the movement.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is leaving Congress; commentator Tucker Carlson is facing changeless attacks and accusations of anti-Semitism; and Congressman Tom Massie is facing a Trump-backed superior challenger.

Meanwhile, Trump’s interior ellipse is filled with staunch Israel supporters, including Rubio, megadonor Miriam Adelson and vigor amusement big Mark Levin.

But amid the erosion of nationalist support, particularly among young people, Israel whitethorn look a reckoning successful American authorities successful the agelong term.

On the Democratic side, immoderate of Israel’s strongest supporters successful Congress are facing superior challenges from progressive candidates who are centring Palestinian rights.

The astir almighty pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is progressively becoming a toxic brand for Democrats.

On the right, the faultlines successful the statement successful enactment of Israel are increasing wider. That inclination was enactment connected show astatine the right-wing AmericaFest league this period erstwhile debates raged astir enactment for Israel, a taxable that was a foregone decision for conservatives a fewer years ago.

Although the Trump medication has been pushing to codify absorption to Zionism arsenic anti-Semitism to punish Palestinian rights supporters, Vice President JD Vance has presented a much nuanced presumption connected the issue.

“What is really happening is that determination is simply a existent backlash to a statement presumption successful American overseas policy,” Vance precocious told the UnHerd website.

“I deliberation we ought to person that speech and not effort to unopen it down. Most Americans are not anti-Semitic – they’re ne'er going to beryllium anti-Semitic – and I deliberation we should absorption connected the existent debate.”

Bottom line, the currents are changing, but the US committedness to Israel remains coagulated – for now.