U.S. President Donald Trump will host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next Monday and Tuesday, the White House said, reaffirming the two leaders' close ties.
The announcement came shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday and planned to deliver remarks alongside Netanyahu.
"The president and the prime minister will discuss their countries' shared interests and actions in the Middle East during a working meeting on March 25," the White House said in a statement. Trump will host a dinner for Netanyahu on Tuesday night.
"Relations with the United States have never been this strong," Netanyahu said in a speech earlier Wednesday.
Officials in Jerusalem hope that during their meeting, Trump will officially recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
On a tour of the strategic plateau last week, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham vowed to work toward recognition of the Israeli Golan Heights.
Netanyahu planned to visit Washington next week to address the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, two weeks before the Israeli election on April 9.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Pompeo and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley are also set to address the event. According to reports, Trump is also weighing addressing the conference.
The Israeli representatives expected to speak at the AIPAC conference include Education Minister and New Right party leader Naftali Bennett; Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi; Likud MK Amir Ohana; Labor MKs Stav Shaffir and Merav Michaeli; as well as top Blue and White party officials Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya'alon.
