Netanyahu announces US trip to seek tariff relief
3 Min Read
While the baseline rate of tariffs is set at 10%, "Israel" has been hit with a 17% tariff—despite its longstanding free trade agreement with Washington.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press statement at the Carmelite Monastery in the Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, April 3, 2025 (AP Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he would travel to Washington for high-level talks with US President Donald Trump, aiming to secure exemptions from the newly imposed American tariffs on Israeli goods.
According to his office, Netanyahu is set to depart the same day, framing the meeting as a top economic priority for "Israel".
"I can tell you that I am the first international leader, the first foreign leader, who will meet with President Trump on the issue, which is so important to the Israeli economy ... I am departing for the US, at the invitation of President Trump, to talk with him about these issues: The hostages, achieving victory in Gaza and of course, the tariff regime that has been imposed on Israel. I hope that I will be able to help on this issue. That is the intention," he said in a statement published on X.
Trump's executive order, issued on April 2, imposes "reciprocal" tariffs on imports from countries running trade surpluses with the US.
While the baseline rate is 10%, "Israel" has been hit with a 17% tariff—despite its longstanding free trade agreement with Washington.
That agreement, signed in 1985, already exempts nearly all US goods from Israeli duties.
Just one day before Trump's order, "Israel" further removed the few remaining tariffs on US imports—largely symbolic, yet a clear display of its continued economic subservience to American interests.
Arms Alliance
Netanyahu's trip is expected to focus on shielding Israeli exporters from the fallout, while reinforcing the broader US-Israeli alliance—a partnership that has seen billions in arms transfers even as "Israel" wages its genocide in Gaza.
Since the beginning of the latest escalation, Washington has only deepened its material support.
In 2024 alone, the US provided "Israel" with $17.9 billion in military aid, the largest annual amount in the history of the relationship.
A separate $14.3 billion emergency package was passed that spring, followed by a $3 billion deal to supply 25 additional F-35 fighter jets.
Read more: US fast-tracks $4B arms deliveries to Israeli regime
US lawmakers have also ensured the flow of weapons remains uninterrupted.
On April 3, the Senate overwhelmingly voted down two resolutions that sought to halt $8.8 billion in arms sales to "Israel", despite mounting international outrage over "Israel's" attacks on Palestinian civilians and infrastructure.
Just days earlier, Washington approved the shipment of 20,000 US-made assault rifles to "Israel", weapons reportedly intended for Israeli forces and settler groups in the West Bank.
