Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to fly to Washington this weekend to attend the memorial service for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, with his office also working to secure a meeting with President Donald Trump during the trip.
According to Israeli officials cited by Ynet, Netanyahu is expected to depart for Washington Saturday night and remain in the American capital through Tuesday, when the memorial service for Graham is set to take place. Israel Hayom reported that the prime minister could leave as early as Saturday night or as late as Sunday morning.
No meeting with Trump has yet been formally scheduled, though the Prime Minister's Office has been pushing to arrange one. Israel Hayom reported that if the meeting is confirmed, officials believe it will most likely take place on Monday, the day before Graham's memorial.
The push for a Trump meeting comes at a sensitive moment. According to Ynet, Netanyahu is seeking to rebuild trust with the administration that has been strained since the war with Iran, amid reports that voices close to Trump have questioned whether the prime minister's assessments during the conflict proved accurate. Israel also wants to brief Washington on intelligence ahead of ongoing negotiations with Tehran over a permanent agreement, pressing the Americans not to settle merely for reducing Iran's enriched uranium stockpile but to insist on stricter red lines, including the removal of enriched uranium from Iranian soil entirely.
Graham, who died suddenly last Saturday at 71, was widely regarded in Israel as one of Washington's most steadfast allies. Netanyahu called him "a great friend of Israel" and said he had lost "a cherished friend" of many decades.
As for the arrangements themselves, Ynet reported that Graham's memorial service will be held in Washington on Tuesday, with his body flown to South Carolina the following day. A final date for the funeral itself has not yet been set.
