Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Set to Meet President Donald Trump in Washington Amid Regional Conflict, ICC Controversy, and Heightened Diplomatic Pressure
President Donald Trump announced on July 24 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the United States next week.
Trump made the announcement during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, where he criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is Jewish, by referring to him as a Palestinian.
“I am going to send [Schumer] a beautiful Palestinian outfit tomorrow, so he can greet Bibi Netanyahu when he comes to town next week,” Trump said during his remarks.
Netanyahu’s office also confirmed on Friday that the Israeli leader will travel to Washington next week to attend the funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
According to a Facebook post from Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli prime minister is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on July 28.
“At the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will depart this coming Monday for a visit to Washington,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The visit comes as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East, with the U.S. military resuming attacks on Iran and Tehran retaliating by targeting U.S. military sites across several countries in the region.
The two sides have exchanged strikes after Iran attacked several commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, despite a ceasefire reached last month that called for the full reopening of the strategically vital waterway through which a significant share of global oil and gas shipments passes.
Trump told reporters on July 24 that the U.S. military is prepared to intensify its strikes against Tehran if necessary.
Netanyahu’s visit also follows renewed calls from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the Trump administration to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against the Israeli leader.
The ICC charged Netanyahu and former Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant in 2024 with crimes related to Israel’s war in Gaza, which began after Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
Mamdani previously said his office was exploring whether Netanyahu could be arrested if he attended the U.N. General Assembly session scheduled for September. However, on July 21, he stated that New York City does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest.
“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” Mamdani said in a video posted on X on July 21.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does.”
Trump has maintained that the Israeli prime minister “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while visiting the United States.
In December 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed sanctions on two ICC judges, accusing them of being directly involved in what he described as the court’s “illegitimate targeting” of Israel.
