Trump and Netanyahu praised their “constructive” meeting after weeks of tension

- Axios reporter Barak Ravid

U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday at the Oval Office of the White House for a 90-minute “constructive” meeting about the Iran war; a meeting in which there were no obvious signs of the tensions that had affected their relationship over the past few weeks.

Why it matters: Given Trump’s dissatisfaction with the Israeli leader over the war, the meeting could have gone another way—an issue Trump had also mentioned publicly shortly before Netanyahu arrived at the White House. The fact that both sides described the meeting positively is considered a win for Netanyahu.

Main story: The report provided by the Israeli government emphasized that the two leaders are in close coordination regarding the war and that there is no disagreement between them.

Tzipi Hotovely, Netanyahu’s communications director, told reporters: “There is no truth in this claim that Israel is steering the United States on Iran. The prime minister does not tell the U.S. president what to do and does not pressure him in any direction. Both sides want to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. There are many ways to achieve that goal.”

Hotovely said that in addition to Iran, Trump and Netanyahu also discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel; a development Trump had presented as part of a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Hotovely said the topic of selling U.S. F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, which Israel opposes, was not raised in the meeting. She also said Trump did not ask Israel to withdraw its forces from the areas in which they are stationed.

Caroline Leavitt, a White House spokesperson, confirmed the Israeli explanation of the meeting and called it “good and constructive.”

Contrary to most of their previous meetings in the Oval Office, the meeting was private and reporters were not allowed to attend. Netanyahu’s office later released images from the meeting.

Their remarks: After the meeting, Netanyahu wrote on Instagram that today’s conversation with Trump was “one of the best conversations we’ve had so far.”

He said: “We have a shared understanding that the goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.”

Background: After close cooperation between the two sides at the start of Operation “Hamas Rage” in late February, as the war stretched beyond what Trump had anticipated, tensions between them increased.

In an interview with Fox News shortly before the meeting, Trump rejected Netanyahu’s idea of amplifying the threat of Iranian nuclear activity on the “Mount Haul” site.

Trump said: “We don’t need Bibi to tell me. Bibi tells me this because he wants me to stay involved.”

On several other occasions, Trump had also criticized Netanyahu using harsh language and emphasized that he is the one in control of events and decisions of the Israeli prime minister. In late May, as Axios first reported, Trump, in a phone call regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon, described Netanyahu as a “damn psycho.”

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