Netanyahu wraps up ‘excellent’ meeting with Trump, hails ‘full cooperation, mutual support’

White House meeting conducted without press briefing as both leaders head to Lindsey Graham’s funeral

All Israel News Staff | Published: July 29, 2026

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after joint press conference announcing the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, Monday, September 29, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. Photo by The White House – Flickr, Public Domain, Wikipedia

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday for the first time since the start of the Iran war, and amid uncertainty regarding a possible diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Following the meeting, Netanyahu described it as “excellent” and said it was “one of the best conversations I’ve had with our friend, US President Trump.”

In a Hebrew-language video statement, the prime minister said, “It was a meeting with full cooperation, with mutual support, with understanding on the joint goal that Iran won’t have nuclear weapons, and also other goals.”

Netanyahu further described it as “an opportunity to exchange ideas, and also to coordinate on things that are important for the security and for the future of Israel.”

President Trump released several images from the meeting on his Truth Social account, writing, “Had a very good meeting! Obviously, many important subjects were discussed.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s meetings with both Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who previously met with Trump, were “positive and productive!”

The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu came amid reports of recent tensions between the two leaders. Shortly before their discussion, President Trump downplayed the potential significance of Israeli intelligence regarding Pickaxe Mountain in Iran, which is believed to be linked to the country’s nuclear program.

“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu, in a phone interview with Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday.

“Bibi’s telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump continued, adding that the U.S. has “the greatest cameras in the world focused on [it]. We know exactly what’s going on.”

“Why don’t you just tell that to me, why do you have to announce that to the world?” he added.

The White House maintained a lower-than-usual media profile ahead of the meeting, with no joint press conference or public statements from the two leaders. Access for journalists accompanying Netanyahu was also restricted. The prime minister entered the White House through a side entrance, in an apparent effort to limit media visibility, similar to the arrangement during Zelenskyy’s earlier visit.

Following the meeting, Netanyahu and Trump left to attend the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month, after returning from a visit to Ukraine.

Graham was a staunch supporter of Israel and a frequent critic of the Iranian regime.

Following the discussion, Tzipi Hotovely, the prime minister’s head of Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate, told Israeli media that the purpose of the meeting was not to share intelligence.

“We know how to work in close cooperation with the US intelligence through our channels. We don’t need this meeting to bring intelligence,” Hotovely said, adding that reports suggesting Netanyahu had come specifically to discuss Pickaxe Mountain were “a sort of fake news that ran throughout the day.”

She also said that “there is no pressure on Israel to withdraw from the important achievements in Lebanon or Gaza,” refuting reports to the contrary.

“The Prime Minister’s goal was to deepen coordination but not drag Trump” in a particular direction, she said. “There is an understanding about how Israel should act in Gaza, on the Yellow Line; reconstruction will not begin before full disarmament.”

A senior Israeli official reaffirmed to Channel 12 News that Netanyahu was not trying to pressure Trump to take a specific action.

“We are in a critical period,” the official said. “President Trump will make a decision soon where he is heading.”

“We are not pushing him, but also aren’t burying our heads in the sand.”