Inside Bibi's mystery Trump meeting
politics
According to Axios, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced to the Israeli press that he would meet President Trump on Monday at the White House, even sending advance security teams and preparing his government plane. But White House officials told the outlet that no meeting had been scheduled. 'Netanyahu was trying to will a meeting into existence,' one official said. This marks a striking shift: Netanyahu has visited the Oval Office six times in the past eighteen months, with each typically arranged within days. This time, he'd been seeking an appointment for more than two weeks. The tension appears tied to Netanyahu's public criticism of Trump's plan to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey on Fox News — comments Trump reportedly found upsetting. Netanyahu ultimately canceled his trip, his office citing the postponement of Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral. The episode reflects deepening tensions between the two leaders and signals Netanyahu's declining standing in Washington, where he faces mounting opposition among both Democrats and figures within Trump's own circle.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2026/07/16/netanyahu-mystery-trump-meeting
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