Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the 7th of April, 2025, made a bold economic vow during a high-stakes visit to the White House.
Sitting next to Donald Trump in the Oval Office, he promised to eliminate Israel’s trade surplus with the United States.
“We intend to do it very quickly. We think it’s the right thing to do, and we’re going to also eliminate trade barriers,” Netanyahu said.
The meeting came on the heels of a tense global reaction to Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement just days earlier.
Markets had tumbled, fears of a looming recession were in the air, and Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to step into the Oval Office amid the storm.
The United States remains Israel’s closest ally and biggest single trade partner. In 2024, the U.S. recorded a $7.4 billion goods trade deficit with Israel.
Under the new American tariff rules, Israeli goods now face a 17% duty at U.S. borders. When asked about easing that burden, Trump was firm.
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“We’ve been ripped off and taken advantage of by many countries over the years, and can’t do it anymore,” he said, giving no hint of tariff relief for Israeli exports.
Israel, on its part, had already scrapped its last set of tariffs on U.S. goods just days earlier.
Both countries have been tied by a free trade agreement for four decades. About 98% of American products enter Israel duty-free today.
Netanyahu’s visit marked his second trip to the White House since Trump resumed office on the 20th of January 2025.
The timing and the message sent a clear signal: the economic bond between both countries is shifting, and fast.