Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu departed from Israel on Monday morning to Washington, his first visit to the US since returning to office in 2022.

Netanyahu is scheduled for a meeting on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden, who announced his withdrawal from the presidential race on Sunday, and will also meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. On Wednesday, the prime minister will deliver a speech to a joint session of Congress.

Netanyahu is also expected to meet with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump but a meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Netanyahu and his wife were accompanied on the plane by Ayelet Samerano, the mother of Yonatan, H’yd, whose murdered body was abducted to Gaza on October 7th by a UNWRA employee; Shelly Shem-Tov, the mother of Gazan captive Omer Shem-Tov; and rescued hostage Noa Argamani and her father Itzik Argamani.

They were also accompanied by bereaved father Itzik Bonzel, whose son Amit, H’yd, was killed in combat in Gaza; and Yehoshua Shani, whose son, Cpt. Ori, H’yd, lost his life battling Hamas terrorists on October 7th.

Netanyahu and his wife greet the bereaved relatives and the families of the hostages who accompanied him on the trip:

Netanyahu and his entourage flew on the premier flight of the Wing of Zion, the prime minister’s official plane – a plane designed and built to serve Israeli leaders. Prior to the October 7th massacre, the plane’s maiden flight was scheduled for November 2023 to transport Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to the Climate Summit in Dubai.

The plane has a section for the prime minister and his wife, another section for the prime minister’s senior advisors and security officials, and a separate section for journalists. The plane also has a conference room that can be converted into a surgical ward in case of emergency, similar to the one on Air Force One.

The section of the Wing of Zion designated for the press:

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)