The National / July 26, 2024
Given a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, the Israeli Prime Minister is expected to be driven to mend fences.
Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, claiming that “no president has done what I’ve done for Israel”.
The meeting signaled that both men are looking to ease tension that developed since Trump left office in January 2021.
Warmly clasping hands, Trump and Netanyahu greeted each other outside the former president’s home in their first face-to-face meeting in almost four years.
About 50 pro-Palestinian protesters were on the bridge leading to the resort.
Given a possible return of Trump to the White House, Netanyahu – whom CNN reported had requested the meeting – was expected to be driven to mend fences.
As president, Trump fulfilled some of Netanyahu’s top wishes from the US, including the moving of the American embassy to Jerusalem and declaring that settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories did not breach international law.
But the Israeli leader angered Trump when he congratulated Biden on his victory in the 2020 election, which Trump has falsely claimed was rigged.
More recently, Trump criticized Netanyahu for security failures around the October 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and led to the war in Gaza.
Trump insisted following the meeting that his relationship with Mr Netanyahu has “always been good”.
Netanyahu’s visit to the Republican nominee in this year’s presidential race comes a day after meetings in Washington with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who will top the Democratic ticket.
In her meeting with Netanyahu, Harris sharply pressed the Israeli leader about the humanitarian situation in Gaza in “frank” talks that were watched for signs of how she might shift American policy on Israel if she becomes president.
“I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there,” Harris said in remarks after the meeting. “I will not be silent.”
Trump slammed her comments, calling them “disrespectful” and “not very nice”.
“I actually don’t know how a person who is Jewish could vote for her,” he said.
But in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Trump called for a quick end to Israel’s war with Hamas and a return of the hostages, adding that Israel has to better manage its “public relations”.
“I want him [Netanyahu] to finish up and get it done quickly,” Trump said. “They are getting decimated with this publicity.”
Before the meeting, Trump posted an image of a letter he had received from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on his Truth Social platform and pledged to work for Middle East peace if he is re-elected.
During the interview, Trump also blasted those who protested against Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Wednesday.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s speech was boycotted by dozens of Democratic politicians, with thousands of demonstrators marching in Washington to Capitol Hill as they protested against the war in Gaza while others demanded Netanyahu bring the hostages home.
