Despite reported tensions between Trump & Netanyahu, White House says they enjoy ‘good working relationship’

Reports in various mainstream media agencies over the past couple days have again attempted to present a story of friction between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Articles from news agencies like Axios and CNN highlighted the claimed tension, with headlines proclaiming, “He’s a madman” in reference to Netanyahu, or stating that Trump was “caught off guard” by recent Israeli actions. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that Trump was “caught off guard” by recent Israeli strikes, but insisted in statements to the press on Monday, that the two leaders have “a good working relationship” .  

“The president enjoys a good working relationship with Bibi Netanyahu, and stays in frequent communication with him,” Leavitt stated. 

“He was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic Church in Gaza,” Leavitt admitted, but said that “in both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations.” 

“And we saw Secretary Rubio intervene when it came to Syria - we saw a de-escalation there,” Leavitt stated. “And as for the bombing of the Catholic Church in Gaza, the Prime Minister did put out a statement saying this was an accident and they deeply regret it.” 

Reports of disagreements and tension between Netanyahu and President Trump have been common since Trump returned to the Oval Office, despite both leaders denying any serious falling out.

Netanyahu recently returned from a four-day trip to Washington, in which he met with President Trump several times, and gave the president a letter of recommendation for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

While President Trump has been clear about his preference for an end to fighting in various arenas around the world, he has also publicly stated his support for Israel’s war against Hamas and its right to defend itself. However, according to Leavitt, President Trump wants to see the conflict end soon and does not like seeing reports of people dying. 

“The president’s message on this conflict we’ve seen in the Middle East taking place for far too long, that has become quite brutal, especially in recent days, you’ve seen reports of more people dying. I think the president never likes to see that. He wants the killing to end,” Leavitt said.

“He wants the killing to end, to negotiate a ceasefire in this region, and he wants to see all of the hostages released from Gaza. That has been a top priority for this president.”

Amid the background of 25 Western nations issuing a condemnation of Israel over the humanitarian aid situation in Gaza, Leavitt argued that President Trump is responsible for any aid getting into Gaza. 

“The president is the reason that aid is even being distributed in Gaza at all,” Leavitt argued. “He wants to see this done in a peaceful manner, where more lives are not being lost.” 

She also pointed a finger at the Biden administration, accusing them of being weak. 

“It’s a very difficult and complicated situation that the president inherited because of the weakness of the last administration. And I think he should be applauded,” Leavitt stated. “The president wants to see peace and he’s been pretty clear on that.” 

A recent article in The Jerusalem Post also covered relations between the two leaders, with an Israeli official concluding that despite some tense moments, “the dynamic between the president and the prime minister has helped us to make significant progress.”