During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington this week, he is again not scheduled to hold a sit-down meeting with the heads of American Jewish organizations — a once standard practice by Israeli leaders during official visits to the United States.

William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told eJewishPhilanthropy that no sit-down meeting was on the books as of Monday. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

This marks Netanyahu’s third visit in a row in which he has forgone such meetings with American Jewish leaders. Netanyahu has maintained an at-times strained relationship with American Jewish leaders for years, prioritizing developing ties with the generally more conservative Evangelicals over maintaining relations with more progressive American Jews. This reflects both broad political differences between the Israeli premier and American Jewish leaders, as well as specific disagreements with him over issues such as the Western Wall compromise, which Netanyahu abruptly dropped in 2016 just before it was due to go into effect.

Netanyahu, who is visiting the U.S. follow last month’s war with Iran and as the fighting in Gaza continues, landed in Maryland on Monday morning, holding meeting with White House officials during the day and eating dinner with President Donald Trump that night. On Tuesday, Netanyahu is slated to speak with Vice President JD Vance and visit Congress. On Wednesday, the prime minister will visit the Pentagon and meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That evening, a reception will be held in the White House, which American Jewish leaders have been invited to attend, along with Evangelical leaders, senior Trump administration officials and several of Netanyahu’s biggest supporters. The prime minister is expected to take part in a round of interviews with American news outlets on Thursday before returning to Israel that evening.

Sit-down meetings provide an opportunity for a direct, intimate conversation between the Israeli premier and American Jewish communal leaders. They allow the prime minister to explain developments in Israel and request assistance and give American Jewish leaders a chance to describe the situation in the U.S. and discuss Israel-Diaspora relations.

In September 2023, for instance, at the peak of the turmoil in Israel over the government’s judicial overhaul plans, Netanyahu held an extended meeting with American Jewish leaders, in which he presented his case for the measures and heard their concerns.

Since then, he has not held such a meeting with U.S. Jewish leaders. Netanyahu met briefly with American Jewish leaders in September 2024 when he visited New York for the United Nations General Assembly, though the meeting was kept short as the premier rushed home after the Israeli military killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Netanyahu’s current visit to the U.S. comes amid rising antisemitism in the United States, including two deadly attacks in recent months, as well as growing calls in Israel for an end to the war in Gaza.