India, July 4 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone Friday and agreed to meet in the United States in the near future, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. The friendly gesture that, nonetheless, arrives amid the most serious strain in their relationship since Trump returned to office. Netanyahu used the call to congratulate Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, telling the US president that the United States serves as a guarantor of freedom worldwide and that Israel deeply values its close bond with Washington.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders agreed to hold an in-person meeting in the United States soon, though n...