Foreign pool report #1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu background
- From
- Jihan Abdalla
- Sent
- Monday, September 29, 2025 9:54 AM
Good morning,
I am your foreign pooler for the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House today, September 29, 2025. It is his fourth visit since Mr Trump began his second term.
Schedule:
Mr Netanyahu arrived in the US on Thursday, ahead of his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
He is set to arrive in the White House at 11am, followed by a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at 11:35am, which is currently closed to press.
The two leaders will then have lunch at noon, followed by a press conference at 1:15pm.
Purpose of visit
The meeting is expected to focus on the Trump administration’s 21-point peace plan for Gaza.
The proposal, which was presented to Arab and Muslim leaders on the side lines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, includes a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, post-war governance, security arrangements, and reconstruction.
Crucially, the plan also includes a guarantee/promise from the US that Israel will not annex parts of the West Bank. This is a major demand from Arab states involved in these talks.
Context
The proposal has so far been received positively by Arab leaders.
Mr Netanyahu on Sunday told Fox News that he hoped the proposal would succeed because he wants to see the hostages released, the end of Hamas rule in Gaza and the establishment of "a new future" for the region and its people.
"Well, we're working on it," he said. "It's not been finalized yet, but we're working with President Trump's team, actually, as we speak. And I hope we can.”
US and Israeli media reported that special envoy Steve Wikoff and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held an hours-long meeting with Mr Netanyahu in his hotel in Washington on Sunday night, to go over the details of the plan.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Trump hinted at a breakthrough in a post on Truth Social, without providing details.
"We have a real chance for Greatness in the Middle East. All are on board for something special, first time ever. We will get it done.”
On Friday, Mr Trump gave more indications that a deal was imminent: “I think we have a deal on Gaza… It’s looking like we have a deal on Gaza. … It’s going to be a deal that will get the hostages back. It’s going to be a deal that ends the war. It’s going to be peace.”
Background
The visit comes on the heels of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It also comes at a critical time in the Middle East.
The war in Gaza began almost two years ago, when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Around 48 people are believed to remain in captivity, and about 20 are thought to be alive.
But pressure has been growing on Israel to end the war as more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed and much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble.
The meeting in the White House follows a wave of recognition of Palestinian statehood by several Western countries, including the UK, France, Canada and Australia. Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump have both maintained that the move “rewards” Hamas for its attacks.
During his UNGA speech, Mr Netanyahu slammed countries who recently recognized Palestinian statehood, calling it a “mark of shame” that sends the message that "murdering Jews pays off."
He also vowed to “finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza. He made no mention of West Bank annexation plans - a major boundary for Arab allies in the region. Mr Trump stated plainly that he will not “allow” Israel to seize that territory.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” he told reporters last week.
Mr Trump, who began his second term on January 20, 2025, entered office with a ceasefire in place, negotiated in part under the tenure of then-President Joe Biden.
That ceasefire collapsed on March 18, 2025.
The US, together with the help of mediators from Egypt and Qatar have been trying for months without success to broker a new ceasefire in Gaza.
Efforts appeared to stall further when Israel carried out an airstrike targeting the Hamas political leadership in Doha, Qatar on September 9, 2025. Six people, including five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer were killed.
Mr Netanyahu, 76, Israel’s long-time leader has largely maintained close relations with Mr Trump.
Mr Netanyahu oversaw normalization agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan under the Abraham Accords under the first Trump administration.
Previous visits
The Israeli premier has met with Mr Trump four times in the White House since he took office for a second time. Mr Trump hosted Mr Netanyahu on February 4, the first visit by a foreign leader. That meeting, which was meant to focus on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire which was in place, was instead eclipsed by Mr Trump’s announcement during a press conference that he intends to take over Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Mr Netanyahu made a second visit on April 7, the main stated purpose of that trip was to negotiate a lower tariff, imposed on Israel as part of the US President’s effort to impose blanket tariffs on most countries announced on April 2. A press conference was scheduled, but then canceled.
They met at the White House again on July 7. The leaders discussed the fallout from the June war with Iran, and how to manage Israel’s broader concerns with Iran and Syria. On Gaza, Mr Netanyahu said Palestinians should have the choice to stay or to leave, and that security must remain under Israeli control. That evening over dinner, Mr Netanyahu presented the US President a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
During his first term, Mr Netanyahu met with Mr Trump five times in Washington. Mr Trump also visited Israel in May 2017. In September that year, the two held a bilateral meeting on the side lines of UNGA. In July 2024, Mr Trump hosted Mr Netanyahu in Mar-A-Lago, Florida, after the Israeli leaders’ visit to the White House with Mr Biden, who was President at the time.
Biography
Mr Netanyahu, often known by his nickname “Bibi”, was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1949. He grew up partly in the US, spending his teenage years attending a high school on the outskirts of Philadelphia.
He served in the Israeli army, in an elite special forces unit, until the early 1970s. In the 1980s he took on the role of Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington followed by Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.
During his time in Washington, he frequently appeared on US media as a commentator, as a strong English-speaking advocate for Israel.
He was elected prime minister for the first time in 1996. At age 46, he was the youngest Prime Minister in Israel’s history. He heads the Likud party, a position he has held with some interruptions, since 1993.
Mr Netanyahu was elected prime minister for a second time in 2009, a title he held until 2021, it is the longest contiguous tenure in his nation’s history.
He was elected once again in November 2022, and heads a right-wing, religiously conservative coalition.
Netanyahu fun fact
Before politics, he seriously considered becoming an architect. At MIT, his first degree was in architecture before he shifted into management studies.
If anyone has any questions, please let me know.
Thank you,
Jihan
Jihan Abdalla
Senior US Correspondent
M
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