President Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Monday for high-level meetings ahead of a private dinner between the two world leaders.
The Trump administration and Netanyahu’s team were expected to discuss the future of Gaza and the possibility of the Jewish state normalizing relations with Arab nations — but details of any potential progress made on both fronts were scant.
Netanyahu met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House, the president’s guest house, for an extended meeting, but a readout was not released.
Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff also met with the Israeli prime minister, but similarly, no details were made available about what was discussed.
The meetings preceded a private dinner between Trump and Netanyahu at the White House, which was also closed to the press.
Trump has pushed for Netanyahu to secure a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that would also result in the release of hostages being held by the terror group in Gaza.
The prime minister, however, has insisted that Israel will not enter into any agreement that allows Hamas’ continued existence in Gaza — a massive sticking point in ending the war.
Netanyahu recently said his delegation meeting with mediators in Qatar has been instructed to reach a deal under those terms.
The Israeli prime minister also maintains that the Israeli military should occupy Gaza indefinitely, with the role of governors transferred to local officials without any known ties to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military launched airstrikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthis, with the group responding with missile fire targeting Israel.
The attacks came after an attack Sunday targeting a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea that caught fire and took on water, later forcing its crew to abandon the vessel.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
