Netanyahu meets Trump at White House as Israel, Hamas discuss ceasefire
Netanyahu's visit follows Trump's prediction, on the eve of their meeting, that such a deal could be reached this week. Before heading to Washington, the right-wing Israeli leader said his discussions with Trump could help advance negotiations in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
It was Trump's third face-to-face encounter with Netanyahu since returning to office, and came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli air strikes. Trump then helped arrange a ceasefire in the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
Trump said his administration would be meeting with Iran.
'We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to talk. They took a big drubbing,' he said.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting would take place in the next week or so.
The US president said he would like to lift sanctions on Iran at some point.
'I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off,' he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday he believed Iran could resolve its differences with the US through dialogue.
Trump and his aides appeared to be trying to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push the two sides for a breakthrough in the 21-month Gaza war.
The two leaders, with their top advisers, held a private dinner in the White House Blue Room instead of more traditional talks in the Oval Office, where the president usually greets visiting dignitaries.
Outside, hundreds of protesters, many wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and waving Palestinian flags, gathered near the White House, waving banners that read 'Stop Arming Israel' and 'Say No to Genocide'. They also called for Netanyahu's arrest, referring to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu met earlier on Monday with Witkoff and secretary of state Marco Rubio. He planned to visit the US Capitol on Tuesday to see congressional leaders.
During their meeting, Netanyahu gave Trump a letter that he said he had used to nominate the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump, appearing pleased by the gesture, thanked him.
Ahead of their visit, Netanyahu told reporters Israeli negotiators were driving for a deal on Gaza in Doha, Qatar's capital.
Israeli officials also hope the outcome of the conflict with Iran will pave the way for normalisation of relations with more of its neighbours such as Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
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