Trump to host Netanyahu for crucial Gaza ceasefire talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire Tuesday.

The Israeli prime minister becomes the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the US president's return to power.

During the meeting, Trump is expected to stop U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continue a halt to funding for the U.N. Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA), a White House official said on Monday.

Netanyahu has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing the agency of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being "involved in terrorist activities against Israel."

The United Nations and UNRWA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

During Trump's first term in office, from 2017-2021, he also cut off funding for UNRWA, questioning its value, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with Israel, and calling for unspecified reforms.

Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered that the U.S. withdraw from the World Health Organization and from the Paris climate agreement - also steps he took during his first term in office.

Israel's U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, on Monday praised the expected moves by Trump, accusing the Human Rights Council of "aggressively promoting extreme anti-Semitism."

"At the same time, UNRWA has long lost its status as an independent humanitarian organization, and has turned into a terrorist authority controlled by Hamas under the guise of a humanitarian agency," he said.

The U.S. was UNRWA's biggest donor - providing $300 million-$400 million a year - but Former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian group Hamas.