Netanyahu heads to US to discuss ‘victory over Hamas’ with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Tel Aviv on Sunday morning for the United States, where he will meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Netanyahu said the pair will discuss “victory over Hamas,” countering Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries.

The meeting will mark Trump’s first with a foreign leader since returning to office for a second term, which Netanyahu said stands “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”

It seems the Israeli prime minister is looking to deepen ties with the United States after strained relations during Biden’s administration.

“I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better. I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength,” the Israeli prime minister said.

Netanyahu’s arrival to the United States comes despite facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November of last year.

In November of last year, the world’s top war crimes court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court had also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.

The 27 member states of the European Union are part of the ICC, and are therefore required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil. The US and Israel, however, are not part of the court.

On his first day in office, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, including a bill that would reinstate the possibility to sanction the ICC. The bill was, however, blocked by Senate Democrats on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the ICC governing body said it “regrets any attempts to undermine the court’s independence, integrity and impartiality.”