Report: Netanyahu To Meet Trump In Washington Two Weeks Before Israeli Elections

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly will meet United States President Donald Trump at the White House only two weeks before seeking re-election on April 9. The premier has during his tenure regularly traveled to Washington in March for the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbying group; however, this year’s accompanying high-profile visit with the leader of the free world will have added significance and is liable to give Netanyahu a bump in the polls ahead of the national vote. The move likely would have sparked controversy in Israel if the current prime minister was not projected to win the upcoming elections in a landslide—with Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party expected to garner some 30 mandates in the 120-seat parliament, approximately double that of the closest competitor and thus placing the sitting premier in excellent position to form the next coalition government. Indeed, most analysts agree that the greatest obstacle to Netanyahu’s fifth term in office is apolitical: that is, the three police investigations against him that could lead to indictments for bribery and breach of public trust at some point in the next few months.