Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump might look to take a victory lap on Monday after their recent joint strikes on Iran , hailed by both as an unmitigated success.
But as they meet for the third time this year, the outwardly triumphant visit will be dogged by Israel's 21-month war against Hamas in Gaza and questions over how hard Trump will push for an end to the conflict.
Trump has made clear that following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran , he would like to see the Gaza conflict end soon. The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu could give new urgency to a U.S. ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas, but whether it leads to a deal that ends the war is unclear.
"The optics will be very positive," said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. "But behind the victory lap are going to be some very serious questions."
Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the U.S. for bringing a "huge victory over our shared enemy." He struck a positive note on a ceasefire for Gaza, saying he was working "to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to."