Netanyahu Vows to Equalize Trade With US in Meeting With Trump

The U.S. and Israeli leaders planned to discuss several issues, including tariffs, renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip, and a potential confrontation with Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

As he met with President Donald Trump at the White House on April 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that his country would equalize its trade terms with the United States.

“We will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States. We intend to do it very quickly. We think it’s the right thing to do. And we’re going to also eliminate trade barriers, a variety of trade barriers that have been put up unnecessarily,” Netanyahu said while sitting beside Trump at a joint White House press conference.

Last week, the Trump administration announced baseline and reciprocal tariffs on global trade partners. Among the planned U.S. economic measures is a 17 percent tariff on Israeli goods. Ahead of their April 7 meeting, Netanyahu indicated that he hoped to negotiate some tariff relief.

Addressing reporters on April 7, the two leaders described further discussions they'd had on the recently renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip, concerns about Iran’s nuclear development, and rising tensions between Israel and Turkey.

Gaza

Both leaders indicated they are also working to win the release of U.S. and Israeli citizens who have been held captive in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist group carried out attacks across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hamas and Israel had reached a cease-fire agreement in January, under which Hamas had agreed to release some of the remaining hostages in exchange for Israel’s halting its military operations, pulling back from major population centers, and releasing Palestinian prisoners.

The Gaza cease-fire collapsed last month, amid disagreements over the next steps in the cease-fire process. Israeli forces have since resumed combat operations in the war-torn territory.

“I'd like to see the war stop, and I think the war will stop at some point that won’t be in the too-distant future,” Trump said on April 7. “Right now, we have a problem with hostages. We’re trying to get the hostages out. We got quite a few of them out, but it’s a long process.”

Netanyahu said efforts are underway to restart a cease-fire. He said he also spoke with Trump about a proposal to relocate residents of the Gaza Strip to amenable neighboring countries.

It remains to be seen which countries are willing to take in the people of the Gaza Strip. In a Feb. 1 joint statement, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab League denounced the proposal by Trump to move the people of Gaza out of the territory and relocate them.

Discussing post-war control of the Gaza Strip on April 7, Trump said, “I don’t understand why Israel ever gave it up.”

The Gaza Strip was under Egyptian military rule from roughly 1949 to 1967. During the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israeli forces launched a surprise attack and seized several Egyptian territories, including Gaza. Israel held onto Gaza from 1967 until 2005, when it relinquished control and withdrew its troops and settlers from the territory.

Iran

While Israeli forces have renewed their fighting against Hamas, U.S. forces have resumed their own military operations across Yemen, against the Houthi terrorists. The Houthis began launching missiles and attack drones against Israel and against commercial shipping in the Red Sea in fall 2023, declaring solidarity with the Palestinians. The Houthis paused their attacks during the Gaza cease-fire this year and have since resumed hostilities.

Since restarting strikes on Yemen, Trump has threatened that further consequences could come Iran’s way, citing Tehran’s support of the Houthis. Last week, Trump threatened bombing operations if Tehran didn’t soon agree to a new deal limiting its nuclear development.

As he spoke with reporters on April 7, Trump announced that U.S. negotiators plan to meet with Iranian counterparts on April 12 to work out some kind of deal.

“We have a very big meeting, and we'll see what can happen. And I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious,” Trump said.

“And the obvious is not something that I want to be involved with, or, frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with if they can avoid it.”

In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear development. President Barack Obama had negotiated U.S. entry into that deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was finalized in 2015.

On April 7, Trump said he hopes a new deal will be “different, and maybe a lot stronger.”

Turkey

Tensions between Israel and Turkey—both formal allies of the United States—have been growing in the months since Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fled power. Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ankara of trying to turn post-Assad Syria into “a Turkish protectorate.” Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has accused Israel of undermining efforts to stabilize the country.

“We’ve had neighborly relations with Turkey that have deteriorated, and we don’t want to see Syria being used by anyone, including Turkey, as a base for attack in Israel,” Netanyahu told reporters on April 7.

Addressing the rising tensions, Trump said he maintains a strong rapport with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and assured Netanyahu that he can help smooth things over.

“I have a very, very good relationship with Turkey and with their leader, and I think we'll be able to work it out,” the U.S. president said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.