• US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and held “positive and productive” talks, according to the White House.

Trump says he had ‘very good’ meeting with Netanyahu

The US president says he held a “very good” meeting with Netanyahu and congressional representatives, during which key issues were covered.

“Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel, along with myself and Representatives. Had a very good meeting! Obviously, many important subjects were discussed,” Trump posted on Truth Social along with several photographs of the meeting.

Netanyahu hails meeting with Trump as ‘one of the best’ ever

The Israeli prime minister has been speaking to Fox News about his meeting with Trump.

Netanyahu called the meeting “one of the best” he has ever had with Trump, while pushing back against any suggestions of strain in US-Israel relations. He said he always hates “to disappoint our would-be critics who are trying to find cracks in our alliance”, adding that what they find instead is “a wall of granite”.

He underscored a shared focus on Iran’s nuclear capabilities, saying, “We don’t want to see this fanatic regime in Tehran have nuclear weapons to threaten every American and to threaten the peace of the world, and to threaten the existence of Israel”.

He pointed out that the US and Israel’s common goal “is gonna be achieved, either through diplomatic means or other means”.

Netanyahu has now visited the White House eight times since Trump took office, more than any other foreign leader.

Trump, Netanyahu and the Iran question

For years, Trump and Netanyahu have shared one of the closest political alliances on the world stage – often more transactional than ideological.

Both men are said to have similar governing styles, rallying a broad base of right-wing voters against media and legal institutions they denounce as enemies.

Trump is considering resuming major combat operations in Iran that would likely include a joint military campaign with Israel similar to the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28.

A meeting with Netanyahu could be significant for Trump’s decision-making and for coordination between the countries.

Is Netanyahu’s Trump card losing its power in Israel?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long presented his closeness to the United States – both politically and personally – as evidence of his indispensability to Israel.

Arriving with a camera-ready American accent after spending a large portion of his youth in the country, Netanyahu is said to have used his unique understanding of US politics to charm and cajole numerous presidents into maintaining their unflagging support of Israel and his personal political projects.

For a time, it appeared as though US President Donald Trump was the most amenable of all past presidents to Israel and to Netanyahu, particularly after he became the first US leader to agree to participate in a joint war with Israel against Iran.

And yet, with that war stalling, Trump appearing more willing to make deals in the Middle East without Israeli input, and increasing criticism of Israel in the US, there is a sense in Israel that Netanyahu’s Trump card may not be as useful as it once was.