{"id":400,"date":"2026-07-21T09:10:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400"},"modified":"2026-07-21T09:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:10:25","slug":"lebanons-president-asks-trump-to-do-what-he-rarely-does-cross-netanyahu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrives at the White House on Tuesday with a single delicate mission: to convince President Donald Trump to press Israel into honoring a U.S.-brokered agreement that would pull Israeli troops out of Lebanon and disarm Hezbollah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Trump imposes new 50% tariff on some Canadian goods<\/a><\/p>\n

It is an ask that could publicly pull Trump\u2019s aims apart from Israel\u2019s \u2014 pressing Israel to pull back where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has favored pressing forward.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu will not be in the room. But his presence hangs over it. Trump has stood closely with him \u2014 on Iran, on Gaza, on the regional map. And as Netanyahu\u2019s forces occupy southern Lebanon, with little sign of urgency to withdraw, Aoun is effectively asking Trump to push his closest partner in the region to move in a direction Israel so far has not.<\/p>\n

The meeting marks the first visit to the White House by a Lebanese president in nearly two decades, and it comes at a fraught moment for the conflict-worn nation, with hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced in the aftermath of Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n

Aoun\u2019s immediate goal is concrete: secure U.S. military and financial aid to help Lebanon carry out a trilateral framework meant to cement peace with Israel. The agreement, signed in June, calls for a phased Israeli withdrawal in exchange for Lebanese steps to disarm Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Aoun is going to show a real willingness, a real desire to put the Lebanese Armed Forces to the test, for people to have faith,\u201d said Hagar Chemali, co-founder of the Lebanon-Israel Peace Alliance and former National Security Council director for the Middle East. \u201cHis goal is to garner more support in terms of equipment and financial support.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Chemali, the visit turns on a mutual bet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. needs President Aoun to have the strength he needs and time and space to execute that framework agreement,\u201d Chemali said. \u201cAnd on Aoun\u2019s side, he trusts President Trump to fulfill not just the U.S. commitments in the framework agreement \u2014 which have to do more with military support, garnering investment, stuff like that \u2014 but also to hold Israel\u2019s feet to the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are early signs of movement. On Monday, the State Department said the first of several \u201cpilot zones\u201d was underway \u2014 designated areas in southern Lebanon where Israel will ease its military control and let Lebanese forces take sole authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe establishment of these initial pilot zones represents real progress on the ground,\u201d said a U.S. official, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive planning. \u201cIt is an opportunity for the Lebanese state to begin to reassert real control in areas historically dominated by Hizballah\u201d and would ideally create momentum needed for the Lebanese Armed Forces to expand the process and move towards peace, the official added \u2014 warning against any attempt by Hezbollah to derail the effort.<\/p>\n

Israel signaled it is in no hurry to leave. An Israeli military official said Israel will remain \u201cfor as long as necessary to defend the communities of northern Israel\u201d and \u201cretain the freedom of operation to remove threats posed to the soldiers\u201d deployed to the security zone.<\/p>\n

Aoun has spent the last several days laying the groundwork. In a stage-setting meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Lebanon\u2019s \u201cmove towards peace\u201d and \u201cdetermined efforts to reclaim Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure and move towards peace,\u201d according to a State Department statement.<\/p>\n

Now Aoun will have to prove to Trump that he can deliver. \u201cThe hurdle in general will be: Can he give enough detail on Hezbollah\u2019s disarmament and how that will go?\u201d Chemali said. \u201cHow it will work, whether there are deadlines and timetables, et cetera \u2014 enough for him to get the support that he wants for the LAF.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The stakes, she said, are not only diplomatic but historic. For the first time in two decades, a Lebanese president represents a government in which Hezbollah is not merely a diminished player but one whose military and security operations the state has declared illegal \u2014 and a government willing to speak loudly against Iran at a moment when Washington is listening.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump demands Canada show more concern for American air quality than he does<\/a><\/p>\n

If that is the test Aoun faces, Trump faces one of his own. The larger question is whether he has the means, or the will, to lean on Netanyahu. The two remain close: Trump has hosted him six times since returning to office, though not since February, before the two men launched a joint military offensive against Tehran. Netanyahu\u2019s plans to return to Washington remain unsettled \u2014 a conspicuous pause for a leader this central to Trump\u2019s Middle East policy. Pressing him now would test whether Trump can hold a line Netanyahu opposes \u2014 something he has struggled to do before.<\/p>\n

Iran is the clearest case. In June 2025, Trump said he was not ready to abandon nuclear negotiations with Tehran and publicly warned Israel against striking. \u201cI don\u2019t want them going in, because I think it would blow \u2014 it might help it, actually, but it also could blow it,\u201d he said \u2014 just eight hours before Israel launched its airstrikes anyway. Ten days later, Trump ordered the U.S. military to join, bombing three major Iranian nuclear facilities.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu went on to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. He made Trump aware of the move during a White House visit at which Trump deferred to the Israeli leader when asked by a reporter whether he believed in a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know \u2013 I\u2019ll ask Bibi that question. You have the greatest man in the world to answer that age old question: Two state? Go ahead \u2013 give him your honest answer,\u201d Trump said, motioning to the Israeli prime minister.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers should threaten us. That means that certain powers, like overall security, will always remain in our hands,\u201d Netanyahu said, a demand that Palestinian leadership had long declared as a non-starter for any two-state agreement.<\/p>\n

During his first term, Trump helped broker the Abraham Accords, the agreements to establish diplomatic relations between Israel with the U.A.E. and Bahrain \u2013 the third and fourth Arab countries to make such peace pacts. But as part of the agreement with the U.A.E. at the time, Netanyahu publicly vowed to not formally annex the West Bank \u2014 then, months later, vowed to \u201cadvance and develop settlement in all parts of the land of Israel\u201d and to legalize West Bank outposts as he fought to hold his governing coalition together in 2022. Trump\u2019s hopes of extending the accords to Saudi Arabia have since stalled amid Israel\u2019s continued military campaigns.<\/p>\n

Yet the relationship has not always been frictionless. Trump seethed when Netanyahu recognized Joe Biden\u2019s 2020 victory, telling Axios reporter Barak Ravid, \u201cF\u2014 him,\u201d and adding: \u201cBibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Years later, Trump\u2019s old ire for Netanyahu during the end of his administration again was raised publicly just four days after Hamas\u2019 attack on Israel in which the terrorist organization killed more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 250 others.<\/p>\n

Trump, mentioning the attacks while in West Palm Beach, chastised Netanyahu for having previously \u201clet us down.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll never forget, I\u2019ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down \u2013 that was a very terrible thing. I will say that,\u201d Trump said, referring to Israel\u2019s decision to not join the U.S. ahead of its 2020 operation to launch an airstrike and kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.<\/p>\n

The two men have since mended fences. But the history is a reminder that Trump\u2019s loyalty has limits \u2014 and that, on the right issue, he has been willing to test them.<\/p>\n

That is the wager Aoun carries into the West Wing on Tuesday: that Trump\u2019s word to Lebanon will, this time, outweigh his deference to Israel.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s data center boosterism is a gift to Democrats<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joseph Aoun’s historic White House visit hinges on whether President Donald Trump will push Israel toward a troop withdrawal it has resisted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nLebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu - Long Distance Movers USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu - Long Distance Movers USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Joseph Aoun's historic White House visit hinges on whether President Donald Trump will push Israel toward a troop withdrawal it has resisted.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Long Distance Movers USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T09:10:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0206dfa2bde56a4792f75b5b97027e43\"},\"headline\":\"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T09:10:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400\"},\"wordCount\":1367,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"US\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400\",\"name\":\"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu - Long Distance Movers USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T09:10:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0206dfa2bde56a4792f75b5b97027e43\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?p=400#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Long Distance Movers USA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0206dfa2bde56a4792f75b5b97027e43\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/longdistancemoversusas.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu - Long Distance Movers USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu - Long Distance Movers USA","og_description":"Joseph Aoun's historic White House visit hinges on whether President Donald Trump will push Israel toward a troop withdrawal it has resisted.","og_url":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400","og_site_name":"Long Distance Movers USA","article_published_time":"2026-07-21T09:10:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0206dfa2bde56a4792f75b5b97027e43"},"headline":"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu","datePublished":"2026-07-21T09:10:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400"},"wordCount":1367,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg","articleSection":["US"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400","url":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400","name":"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu - Long Distance Movers USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-21T09:10:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0206dfa2bde56a4792f75b5b97027e43"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/54162c2ee08d2610876f855c86255f84.jpg","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?p=400#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lebanon\u2019s president asks Trump to do what he rarely does: cross Netanyahu"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/","name":"Long Distance Movers USA","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0206dfa2bde56a4792f75b5b97027e43","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com"],"url":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longdistancemoversusas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}