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President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday at the White House.
The two leaders are set to discuss the war in Gaza and global tariffs, among other issues.
“This meeting comes at a critical moment on many key issues: the efforts to return our hostages being held by Hamas, the instability in Syria and the threats posed by Iranian proxies,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said.
“The recent implementation of tariff policy will also be discussed. Just as Prime Minister Netanyahu was the first world leader to visit President Trump in his second term in the White House, he is now once again the first leader to meet with the president with regard to deepening economic ties and putting trade relations in order,” he added.
The meeting will mark the second time Trump and Netanyahu have met since the president’s return to the White House in January. Netanyahu previously traveled to Washington to meet in February.
According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, in 2024, total U.S. goods trade with Israel reached an estimated $37.0 billion. This included $14.8 billion in exports, a 5.8 percent increase ($813.7 million) from 2023. Imports of goods from Israel totaled $22.2 billion, marking a 6.7 percent rise ($1.4 billion) compared to the previous year.
On Tuesday, Israel announced that it was lifting all tariffs on U.S. products to increase its competitiveness in the global market.
“In addition to the economic benefits for the economy and citizens of Israel, this move will allow us to further strengthen the alliance and ties between Israel and the United States,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will continue to work to remove barriers and tariffs and to reinforce our special relationship with the United States.”
The decision was announced one day ahead of Trump’s announcements of reciprocal tariffs, including 17 percent against Israel. No announcement has yet been made on whether this tariff will be dropped after Israel’s decision to end tariffs against the U.S.
Most products from the U.S. to Israel are already tax-free, and America is Israel’s leading trading partner.