(JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House at the end of March, just two weeks before the Israeli elections.
The March 25-26 visit overlaps with the national conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
The two leaders “will discuss their countries’ shared interests and actions in the Middle East during a working meeting” on the 25th and will have dinner the next day, according to an announcement from the White House Press Office.
In the past, American presidents have been reticent to meet with Israeli leaders close to elections for fear of implicitly influencing the vote. In addition, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is currently visiting Israel.
A member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel, appeared to use the White House announcement to boost Netanyahu’s campaign. She tweeted the announcement Wednesday, writing that “There’s only one leader in Israel who is able to remove the Iranian threat, and it’s P.M. Netanyahu.”
