Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was traveling to Washington on Sunday for meetings this week with President Donald J. Trump and senior administration officials at a pivotal moment for the Middle East.
Mr. Trump has made it clear that he wants the wars in the Middle East to end after the October 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel set off 15 months of devastating conflict in Gaza that also spread to Lebanon. Before boarding his plane on Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu spoke of broadening peace in the region.
“The decisions we made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength,” he added.
Mr. Netanyahu is expected to be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr. Trump since his inauguration last month. The Israeli leader is expected to hold formative discussions with the Trump administration about several crucial regional issues.
Negotiations are supposed to start on Monday for the second phase of the cease-fire deal for Gaza that would turn a temporary truce into a permanent cessation of hostilities and see the release of hostages still being held there. In addition, the trial stage of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire for Lebanon is set to expire on Feb. 18, by which time both the Israeli military and Hezbollah are meant to have vacated the southern part of that country.
Overarching issues for the future of the Middle East also remain on the agenda. Those include curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and support for armed proxies on Israel’s borders, as well as the possibility of a grand bargain involving formal ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a major regional player.
Mr. Netanyahu said from the tarmac on Sunday that the issues to be discussed with Mr. Trump include “victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components.”
His office said that Mr. Netanyahu is expected to meet with Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy, on Monday and with Mr. Trump on Tuesday.
Mr. Netanyahu spoke by phone with Mr. Witkoff on Saturday and the two men agreed to start the negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza deal in their meeting on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, suggesting that Mr. Witkoff will play a major role in shuttle diplomacy.
There was no immediate comment from the White House or Mr. Witkoff.
