Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Washington, DC, and is set to visit the White House on Tuesday, with the war on Iran topping the agenda. This is his first meeting with President Donald Trump since the US and Israeli regimes launched strikes on Tehran on February 28.

The visit comes amid escalating Israeli raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank and three months before elections in Israel. Netanyahu has visited the White House more times under the Trump administration than under any other US president, and analysts say he is seeking Trump’s support for re-election.

Netanyahu is primarily in the US to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and staunch Israel supporter, who died on July 11. The funeral will take place on Tuesday in Washington. Before the memorial, Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump at 11am.

A White House official told Reuters that the two leaders are likely to discuss the war on Iran, as well as Israeli strikes and occupation of Lebanon. However, there are significant frictions between them. Trump reportedly called Netanyahu “f****** crazy” and accused him of undermining US diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Political observers say both leaders are driven by their own political interests, which are on a collision course. The war with Iran is deeply unpopular in the US, so Trump needs a deal with Iran to end it. Netanyahu, on the other hand, could benefit politically at home if the war continues.

Netanyahu is expected to push for “regime change” in Iran, but Trump is allegedly opposed to this. The meeting’s outcome is not expected to be made public. Netanyahu may also lobby for Trump’s support for his re-election campaign ahead of an October 27 vote, as he is struggling in opinion polls.

Source: www.aljazeera.com