The White House has not yet provided any explanation for the cancellation of the press conference.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
The White House announced on Monday that a press conference scheduled for 9:30 p.m. featuring President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been canceled.
The press conference was expected to be held after a private meeting between the two heads of state.
Joint statements are still expected to be made at the Oval Office.
The White House has not yet provided any explanation for the cancellation of the press conference.
The meeting scheduled between Netanyahu and Trump was delayed by half an hour.
A military guard with flags representing the 50 states awaited Netanyahu’s arrival.
Netanyahu arrived in Washington immediately after a meeting in Hungary with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The Israeli premier’s purpose in visiting the White House was to discuss the 17% tariffs levied on Israeli goods and strategies for dealing with the Iranian threat.
On Monday, before Netanyahu met with Trump, an Israeli official said the premier intended to present a version of what “a good Iran deal should look like.”
The official told Walla, “Netanyahu supports a deal that would lead to the complete dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program, like what happened in Libya.”
The official also said that the main focus of the meeting will be on Iran rather than on tariffs, which was initially discussed by the media as the primary reason for the meeting.
The official also did not emphasize a discussion about the hostage deal and ceasefire talks.
Just moments before his departure to the US, Netanyahu recorded a video statement thanking Orban for his support of Israel and criticizing the “corrupt ICC.”
“Hungary is a very great friend of Israel: it defends us in the European Union, it defends us in the United Nations, and no less than that – at the corrupt International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is targeting all of us – against IDF soldiers, IDF commanders, and the State of Israel,” said Netanyahu. “It is trying to deny us the right to self-defense.”
“Hungary is the first country to withdraw during this visit from the International Criminal Court. This is a sign of things to come. This is a very significant aid to the State of Israel,” he added.
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