Former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Friday, to discuss Israel’s war with Hamas and combatting antisemitism in the U.S.
Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. earlier this week. He addressed Congress on Wednesday and held meetings with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday.
In his meeting with Trump, held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Netanyahu reportedly thanked the former president for his “many historic achievements,” according to a readout sent by the Trump-Vance campaign. Those include “the Abraham Accords, moving the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, eliminating Qasem Soleimani, ending the horrific Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as combatting anti-Semitism in America and abroad,” the release said.
Trump and Netanyahu maintained a close working relationship during Trump’s presidency. But the relationship soured after Netanyahu called Biden to congratulate him on his 2020 election victory, an election Trump has yet to concede.
Trump has been critical of Netanyahu’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages, Trump said Netanyahu “was not prepared” for the attack and said terrorist group Hezbollah was “very smart.”
More recently, Trump has called on Netanyahu to “finish up your war.”
On Friday, the two leaders seemed to again be on good terms, according to the limited information publicly released from the meeting. A video that a Trump aide posted on social media shows Trump awaiting the Netanyahus on the front steps as they arrived. Trump kissed Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, and embraced the prime minister.
“Now I’m honored, come on in,” Trump said to Netanyahu.
According to a readout of the meeting, Trump “expressed his solidarity” with Israel. Should Trump win a second term as president, the report said, “he will make every effort to bring peace to the Middle East and combat anti-Semitism from spreading throughout college campuses across the United States.”
Netanyahu met with Biden, Harris
Biden and Harris held separate meetings with Netanyahu Thursday. It was Biden’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his decision to end his reelection bid. Biden will finish his term, which ends in January.
“From a proud Jew Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu told Biden before their meeting. “And I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead.”
After Harris’ meeting with Netanyahu, the vice president told reporters they had a “frank and constructive” conversation. She reiterated her support for Israel’s right “to defend itself.”
Harris said she is “working everyday” to bring home the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. She said she also expressed “serious concern” to Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies,” she said. “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.”
Netanyahu was reportedly upset by Harris’ statement, according to Axios.
“Harris’ statement after the meeting was much more critical than what she told Netanyahu in the meeting,” an Israeli official claimed. The officials said they hoped Harris’ statement wouldn’t increase tension in the Middle East or interfere with reaching a deal to end the war.