Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s second meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump this year, while warmly staged, appears to have fallen short of delivering concrete results especially on the pressing issue of trade tariffs.
Following their first encounter in February, members of Netanyahu’s coalition loudly celebrated the meeting’s success. This time, however, there was near-total silence. The lack of public praise is telling, particularly in an Israeli political climate where positive spin is rarely withheld.
One of the major disappointments came in the form of Trump’s refusal to reverse the newly imposed 17% tariffs on Israeli goods. When pressed on the issue, Trump casually replied, “Maybe yes, maybe no.” With Netanyahu sitting beside him, the Israeli leader was left to meekly point out that Israel does not impose tariffs on the United States a comment that, while factual, underscores Israel’s one-sided vulnerability in the new trade dynamic.
This raises broader concerns about the future of Israeli-American economic ties. Netanyahu has suggested that the trade imbalance where Israel exports more than it imports from the U.S. will somehow be corrected. But he has not clarified how this will happen. Will Israeli exports shrink, or will U.S. goods be pushed into the Israeli market? Businesses and economic leaders in Israel remain in the dark.
Equally disconcerting to many Israelis was Trump’s public announcement that he intends to open direct negotiations with Iran. This marks a dramatic pivot for a president who, during his first term, exited the Iran nuclear deal at Netanyahu’s urging. Now, Trump is proposing a new engagement strategy an ironic reversal of roles that must be unsettling for a prime minister who has spent years warning the world about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
To be sure, the Trump-Netanyahu meeting wasn’t entirely without value. Trump reaffirmed his support for Israel’s right to self-defense in Gaza and issued a stern warning to Iran. Yet these gestures were largely symbolic. They may boost morale, but they do little to address Israel’s growing economic concerns or to contain Iran’s regional aggression in a meaningful way.
In the end, the meeting produced more headlines than substance. While Netanyahu sought strategic reassurance and economic relief, he left Washington without either. For Israeli leaders and citizens alike, it’s a sobering reminder that even close friendships in politics can carry sharp limits.
