Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week for two days of meetings with President Trump as the Trump administration prepares to release a Mideast peace plan.
The visit was announced with less than a week of notice and will feature a “working meeting” on Monday and a presidential dinner Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
Trump and Netanyahu “will discuss their countries’ shared interests and actions in the Middle East,” Sanders said.
Netanyahu’s trip to Washington coincides with the Trump administration’s plan to release an ambitious peace proposal between Israel and the Palestinians. The announcement could happen as early as next month.
Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner is leading efforts to broker a long-elusive deal. Kushner said last month the proposal would be unveiled after Israel’s legislative election on April 9.
According to the book Kushner, Inc., which was released Tuesday, multiple people aware of a draft peace plan said it features proposed land swaps, with visions to transfer some Jordanian land to a Palestinian state, with Saudi Arabia reimbursing Jordan with some of its own land.
Kushner has a long-standing relationship with Netanyahu, who faces politically damaging allegations of corruption in Israel. The Israeli leader reportedly slept in Kushner’s childhood bed during visits to the home of his father Charles Kushner, a billionaire real estate developer. Kushner reportedly slept in the basement when Netanyahu took his room.
Israel’s attorney general said in late February that his office plans to indict Netanyahu on bribery and fraud charges. Associating himself with Trump could help Netanyahu in a multiparty election next month, as Trump enjoys very high approval ratings in Israel.
