Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday for talks with US president Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday before both leaders attend the funeral of senator Lindsey Graham, who was considered one of Israel’s strongest supporters in Washington.In a statement in advance of his departure he said Iran would top the agenda.“In these complex times one must act with both great determination and great wisdom. We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Of course, our goal is to safeguard our security while also expanding the circle of peace around us,” he said.The meeting comes after a period of tense bilateral relations, with reports of Trump angrily swearing at Netanyahu in a number of phone calls amid differences over the handling of the Gulf war and allegations that the Israeli leader was deliberately sabotaging efforts to end the hostilities.In advance of the visit Israel made gestures intended to show progress on US peace plans for Lebanon and Gaza.Last week Israeli forces withdrew from a village in southern Lebanon, marking the launch of the United States-brokered pilot project for the Lebanese army’s entry into the area. The pilot calls for the Lebanese army to take responsibility for designated areas in southern Lebanon and ensure no Hizbullah presence, enabling a staged pullback of Israeli troops.On Sunday, after months of delay, Israel’s security cabinet also approved the signing of a status of forces agreement with the “Board of Peace”, the body created by Trump to oversee the Gaza ceasefire. Under the agreement, an international stabilisation force will enter a small area of Gaza and assume security responsibility, allowing the construction of two camps for displaced residents.[ Trump’s Board of Peace to set up ‘pilot’ zone in Gaza to accommodate thousands of PalestiniansOpens in new window ]Israel took the decision even though Hamas has taken no steps to disarm, as called for in Trump’s 20-point plan. The move marked the first sign of progress since the Gaza ceasefire was declared last October. Since then more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks and Israel has increased to more than 60 per cent the area of Gaza it controls.It remains to be seen if the Israeli gestures will be enough to placate Trump. Netanyahu faces an election in October and badly needs Trump’s endorsement – a situation that could lead to the president seeking further concessions from Netanyahu.About 600 former senior Israeli security officials sent a letter to Trump ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, urging him to raise concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank, following a string of violent clashes between settlers and Palestinians, warning of a “calamity” if attacks by “Jewish terrorists” continue.