 "No show: Trump cancels presser with Netanyahu amid tariff tensions")
A scheduled joint press conference by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was abruptly cancelled Monday (April 8), the White House confirmed without offering any explanation.
Netanyahu’s trip to Washington is the first by any world leader since Trump dropped his global tariff bombshell. What comes out of their closed-door chats could set the tone for how other nations react to America’s tough new trade stance.
Trump greeted Netanyahu with a solid handshake at the White House, playing the perfect host—at least on the surface. But when reporters shouted questions about crashing markets and whether Israel might get a free pass on the tariffs, Trump kept walking, offering zero answers and his signature stare.
On the top of the agenda for Netanyahu is the issue of tariffs, according to the Israeli PM Office.
However, the two leaders were also likely to discuss the war in Gaza and rising tensions with Iran. Netanyahu and Trump were also expected to discuss the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu last year.
Trump’s phone call with leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan
The Times of Israel reported that before hosting Netanyahu, Trump dialled the leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan to discuss “ways to urgently secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.”
From their summit in Cairo, French President Emmanuel Macron, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah “emphasize the need to create conducive conditions for a genuine political horizon and mobilize international efforts to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, restore security and peace for all, and implement the two-state solution.”
Benjamin lobbying against Turkey
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu has also been lobbying US authorities, especially the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, against the sale of F-35 multirole fighter jets to Turkey.
According to media reports, Netanyahu brought up the issue during his recent calls with Rubio over the past two months.
Meanwhile, back in March, Fox News reported that President Trump might be willing to bring Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet programme—but there’s a big “if” attached. The US wants Turkey to find a way to neutralise its Russian-made S-400 air defence system first.
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