Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completed his four-day visit to Hungary. He has now set off to Washington, the capital of the United States, to meet with President Donald Trump. One of the significant topics at the meeting between the two leaders will be the additional 17% customs duty imposed by Trump on Israel.

Netanyahu expressed that he is heading for the meeting primarily to discuss issues related to hostages, achieving victory in Gaza, and the customs regime applied to Israel. The United States and Israel signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago. Israel does not impose customs duties on 98% of American goods. The 2% customs tariff applied was lifted by Trump the day before announcing additional customs duties worldwide. However, Israel is among the countries included in the list with a 17% customs duty announced by Trump.

On his way, Netanyahu emphasized that he would be the first leader to discuss the matter with Trump. Netanyahu and Trump had a phone conversation on Thursday, where Trump reportedly extended a surprising invitation to discuss the customs tariff issue.

Trump stated that many contentious issues in the Middle East need to be resolved during his meeting with Netanyahu at the White House. Trump emphasized the importance of trade discussions and stated that they will also address apparent matters. Trump expressed his intention to establish trade relationships to settle the situation peaceably.