Florida: Former US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday for the first time in four years, mending their relationship after a years-long rift that happened in the wake of Trump's exit from the White House in 2021. Netanyahu met Trump a day after holding talks with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who has become the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Trump greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara at Mar-a-Lago and spoke on the ongoing events in the Middle East, claiming that the tensions could escalate into a full-blown war if he loses the upcoming elections, Fox News reported. "If it all works out, if we win, it'll be very simple. It's all going to work out. And very quickly. If we don't, you're going to end up with major wars in the Middle East. And maybe a third World War. You are closer to a third World War right now than at any time since the Second World War. We've never been so close because we have incompetent people running the country," he told Netanyahu.
Netanyahu said he hoped his US trip would lead to a quicker ceasefire deal. "I hope so. But I think time will tell," he told reporters. He said he thought there had been movement in efforts to forge a ceasefire because of Israeli military pressure and said he would dispatch a team to talks in Rome. Netanyahu's meeting with Trump signals an effort to mend ties as the former President is looking set for a return to the White House.
Trump criticises Kamala Harris' remarks
Trump accused Kamala Harris of making "disrespectful" comments about the Gaza war and claimed she "doesn't like Jewish people" and "doesn't like Israel." He also told reporters that Harris is "worse" on Middle East issues and claimed Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza could expand into a wider regional conflict if she succeeds Biden, who dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday.
Harris on Thursday pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help reach a ceasefire deal and end the nearly ten-month war in the Gaza Strip to ease the sufferings of Palestinian citizens, striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden, who also met Netanyahu at the White House. "It is time for this war to end," Harris said in a televised statement after the talks with the Israeli PM.
"Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters. What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating... The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies," Harris told reporters. "We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."
Reports suggest Netanyahu was irked by the remarks made by Harris that he believes could jeopardise a hostage and ceasefire deal. An unnamed Israeli official said it was to be hoped that Harris' comments would not be interpreted by Hamas as indicating a gap between the United States and Israel "and thus push a deal into the distance."
The years-long rift between Trump and Netanyahu
The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu fell apart when the former US President was left angered as the Israeli PM congratulated Biden on his victory over Trump in the 2020 election. Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims the election was stolen from him by voter fraud. "I haven't spoken to him since. F*** him," Trump said in an interview with an Israeli journalist in 2021.
The two men now have a strong interest in restoring their relationship, both for the political support their alliance brings and for the lustre it gives each with their conservative supporters. For Trump, the meeting was a chance to be cast as an ally and statesman, as well as to sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel.
For Netanyahu, repairing relations with Trump is imperative given the prospect that Trump may once again become president of the United States, which is Israel's vital arms supplier and protector. The Israeli PM is looking to gain more of the terms he wants in a ceasefire and hostage deal if Trump wins the White House.
Trump dismissed any suggestion of tensions with Netanyahu. "We have a very good relationship," he said, noting policy changes during his presidency including moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and pulling the United States out of the international nuclear deal with Iran.
(with inputs from agencies)
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