JERUSALEM, Feb 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 
left Sunday for the United States where he will become the first foreign 
leader to meet Donald Trump since the US president returned to office.

His visit comes as a fragile truce holds between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, 
and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both militant groups are backed 
by Iran.

Before boarding his flight, Netanyahu said the pair would discuss "victory 
over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the 
Iranian terror axis".

During his first term, Trump declared Israel "never had a better friend in 
the White House", an attitude that appears to have endured.

Before departing, Netanyahu called it "telling" that he would be the first 
foreign leader to meet Trump since his inauguration.

"I think it's a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance," 
he said.

After Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden 
had maintained military and diplomatic support for Israel.

But the Biden administration also distanced itself over the mounting death 
toll from Israel's ensuing war in Gaza and delays to aid deliveries.

Trump has moved quickly to reset relations.

Soon after returning to the White House, he reportedly approved a shipment of 
2,000-pound bombs to Israel, which the Biden administration had blocked, and 
lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of violence against 
Palestinians.

After the ceasefire took effect in Gaza last month following 15 months of 
war, Trump touted a plan to "clean out" the Palestinian territory, calling 
for Palestinians to move to neighbouring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.

His stance has reinforced Netanyahu's need for strong US ties as he navigates 
domestic and regional pressures.

Celine Touboul, co-director of the Foundation for Economic Cooperation, a Tel 
Aviv think-tank, said "for Netanyahu, a privileged relationship with the 
White House is an essential tool".

- Stabilising the region -

Despite Trump's early moves, Netanyahu will face a president determined to 
push his own agenda when the pair meet on Tuesday.

Trump officials have warned that "renewed fighting in the Middle East would 
distract the new Trump team from addressing what Trump defines as more 
pressing priorities", the New York-based Soufan Center said. 

These include "securing the southern US border from illegal migration and 
settling the Russia-Ukraine war", the think tank said.

Beyond that, "Trump wants to reorient his priorities towards Asia-Pacific", 
said David Khalfa, a researcher at the Jean Jaures Foundation in Paris.

"He believes, as did his predecessors, that he must stabilise the region 
first and create an anti-Iran coalition with his strategic partners," 
including Israel and Saudi Arabia, he said.

- 'Political margin' -

Talks will also likely cover concessions Netanyahu must accept to revive 
normalisation efforts with Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh froze discussions early in the Gaza war and hardened its stance, 
insisting on a resolution to the Palestinian issue before making any deal.

"There is today an ideological alignment between the populist, Trumpist 
American right and the Israeli prime minister," Khalfa said.

But Netanyahu's "political margin is very small in the face Trump who does 
not have the pressure of re-election", he added.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are due to resume this week on 
the second phase of the Gaza truce agreement.

If successful, the deal could lead to the release of the remaining hostages 
in Gaza, both dead and alive, and potentially end the war.

Netanyahu's office said he would begin the discussions with Trump's Middle 
East envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday.

But he faces intense pressure within his governing coalition from far-right 
politicians intent on restarting the Gaza war once the current six-week truce 
ends.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to quit the 
government if the war does not restart, potentially stripping Netanyahu of 
his majority.

The prime minister faces a choice between Washington's demands and 
increasingly impatient political backers at home.

"If Trump asks him to make concessions to the Palestinians in order to obtain 
normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu will have to choose 
between a privileged relationship with the American president or maintaining 
his coalition," Touboul said.