Trump Announces He Will Meet with Netanyahu on Friday at Mar-a-Lago

Former President Donald J. Trump, who often calls himself the staunchest ally of Israel to ever sit in the Oval Office, will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday in Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump said on Tuesday.

“Looking forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago,” Mr. Trump wrote in a post on his social media site, referring to his private club and residence.

The pair’s meeting will follow Mr. Netanyahu’s address to Congress in Washington on Wednesday and his meeting with President Biden at the White House on Thursday. (Mr. Trump announced three different dates: An initial post on Tuesday afternoon said he would meet with Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday, then he deleted that post and replaced it with one saying Thursday. Minutes later, he said the meeting was moved to Friday at Mr. Netanyahu’s request.)

Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Trump were close allies during Mr. Trump’s presidency. But their relationship became strained when the prime minister congratulated Mr. Biden on winning the 2020 presidential election.

Mr. Trump, who has continued to insist falsely that he won the election in 2020, saw the move as disloyal. And days after Hamas’s deadly attacks on Israel in October, Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Netanyahu and Israeli intelligence officials as being poorly prepared.

In the months since, Mr. Trump has retreated from his criticism. He has voiced support for Israel’s right to defend itself and forcefully denounced pro-Palestinian protesters on American college campuses. He has suggested that he supported greater use of force in Gaza.