President Donald Trump, left, greets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-04-07T14:44:44Z WASHINGTON (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, becoming the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he unleashed tariffs on countries around the world.Whether Netanyahus visit succeeds in bringing down or eliminating Israels tariffs remains to be seen, but how it plays out could set the stage for how other world leaders try to address the new tariffs.Trump greeted the Israeli prime minister with a firm handshake as he arrived for talks.Trump ignored shouted questions from reporters about the tumbling global markets and whether he would lift tariffs on Israel.Shortly before their meeting, the White House announced that Trump and Netanyahus plans to hold a joint news conference had been canceled. The White House did not offer any immediate explanation for why it was scrapped, but Trump and Netanyahu were expected to make comments to reporters at the start of their scheduled Oval Office meeting. Netanyahus office has put the focus of his hastily organized Washington visit on the tariffs, while stressing that the two leaders will discuss major geopolitical issues including the war in Gaza, tensions with Iran, Israel-Turkey ties and the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader last year. Trump in February signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC over its investigations of Israel. The prime minister soon after arriving in Washington on Sunday evening met with senior Trump administration officials, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer, to discuss the tariffs. And Netanyahu met on Monday with Steve Witkoff, Trumps special envoy to the Middle East, ahead of his sit down with the president. Trump and Netanyahu are also expected to discuss Israels hoped-for annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, which the Palestinians want as the heart of their future independent state. Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations, said he expected Trump to use the tariffs as leverage to force concessions from Netanyahu.In Israels case, those concessions might not be economic. Trump may pressure Netanyahu to move toward ending the war in Gaza at the very least through some interim truce with Hamas that would pause the fighting and free more hostages. Gilboa said Trump is hoping to return from his first overseas trip expected next month to Saudi Arabia with some movement on a deal to normalize relations with Israel, which would likely require significant Israeli concessions on Gaza. If he does manage to move toward bolstering ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, that would act as a regional diplomatic counterweight to pressure Iran, against which Trump has threatened new sanctions and suggested military action over its nuclear program.In a preemptive move last week, Israel announced that it was removing all tariffs on goods from the U.S., mostly on imported food and agricultural products, according to a statement from Netanyahus office. The statement did not mention Trumps impending tariffs, which were announced the following day, but said Israels step would bolster ties with its largest trading partner, the United States. Israel is not a major trading partner of the U.S.But the tactic failed, and with a 17% rate, Israel was just one of dozens of countries that were slapped with tariffs on Trumps so-called Liberation Day last week.Although Israel is a tiny market for U.S. products, the United States is a key trade partner of Israel. Much of that trade is for high-tech services, which are not directly affected by the tariffs, but key Israeli industries could be impacted.The Manufacturers Association of Israel estimates that the tariffs will cost Israel about $3 billion in exports each year and lead to the loss of 26,000 jobs in industries that include biotechnology, chemicals, plastics and electronics. The World Bank says Israels gross domestic product, a measure of economic output, is over $500 billion a year.The damage wont stop at exports, said Ron Tomer, the groups president. It will scare investors, encourage companies to leave Israel and undermine our image as a global center of innovation. He called on the government to work urgently to protect the economy. ___Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. TIA GOLDENBERG Goldenberg is an Associated Press reporter and producer covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. She previously reported on East and West Africa from Nairobi. twitter mailto AAMER MADHANI Madhani covers the White House for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto