Netanyahu and Trump meet for private dinner to discuss Iran, hostages, and end of Gaza War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington, DC, early Monday morning ahead of meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

Netanyahu is expected to meet with Witkoff and Rubio at Blair House for a preparatory meeting ahead of a private dinner meeting with President Trump later in the evening. The two leaders are expected to release a short statement to the media. 

According to reports in Hebrew media, Netanyahu is expected to tell Trump that Israel maintains three non-negotiable conditions for ending the war in Gaza: the complete destruction of Hamas, the exile of its leadership from Gaza, and the full disarmament of the terror group. 

Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu is willing to be flexible on matters such as the distribution of humanitarian aid or the repositioning of IDF units, however, these three non-negotiable demands “continue to be the point of contention in the efforts to reach a conclusion to the war.” 

Netanyahu is facing pressure on these issues from members of his own party, as well as ministers in his coalition government. 

As for the rest of his schedule, on Tuesday Netanyahu is expected to meet with Vice President J.D. Vance along with several senior members of the House and the Senate.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu will meet at the Pentagon with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and later in the evening, he will attend a reception for heads of Jewish organizations in the United States, Evangelical Christian leaders, and senior administration officials. 

On Thursday, Netanyahu is expected to give several interviews with U.S. media before boarding the Wings of Zion plane for his return flight to Israel, in order to return before Shabbat. 

It is anticipated that Trump hopes to be able to make a significant announcement regarding a hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza. The U.S. president reportedly desires to move towards a permanent ceasefire in order to start the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip and pivot towards other regional goals, including the possible expansion of the Abraham Accords. 

According to The Times of Israel, Trump has told mediators in the hostage-ceasefire negotiations that he expects them to secure a deal this week. 

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Witkoff will leave for the talks in Doha, Qatar, later this week, after meeting with Netanyahu and Trump.