Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, on July 26, 2024, in Florida, US | Photo credit: AP
A beaming former US President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to their first face-to-face meeting in almost four years, restoring a political alliance important to both men that had broken down when the Israeli leader insulted Mr Trump. by being one of the first to congratulate Joe Biden on his presidential victory in 2020.
Asked by journalists whether his trip to the US made progress towards a Gaza ceasefire at home, Mr Netanyahu said: “I hope so,” adding that Israel was keen to reach an agreement reaches.
Mr. Netanyahu presented Mr. Trump with a framed photo that the Israeli leader said shows a child held hostage by Hamas-led militants since the first hours of the war. “We’ll sort it out,” Trump assured him.
Mr. Trump’s campaign said he pledged at the meeting to “do everything we can to bring peace to the Middle East” and fight anti-Semitism on college campuses if American voters elect him president in November.
Mr Trump waited for Mr Netanyahu on the stone steps outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he warmly clasped the Israeli leader’s hands. Both men have a great interest in resuming their relationship, also because of the political support and shine that their alliance brings.
“We’ve always had a great relationship,” Trump emphasized to reporters. As the two sat in a mural-painted room discussing whether Netanyahu’s trip to Mar-a-Lago restored their bond, Trump responded: “It was never bad.”
As president, Donald Trump went far further than his predecessors in fulfilling Netanyahu’s key wishes from the United States. But by the time Mr Trump left the White House, relations had deteriorated, with Mr Trump publicly criticizing Netanyahu as disloyal despite the other man’s efforts to mend ties.
For both men, Friday’s meeting was intended to emphasize before their home audiences in the United States and Israel their view of themselves as strong leaders who have accomplished great things on the world stage and can do so again.
Netanyahu’s trip to Florida followed a fiery speech at a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, where he defended his far-right government’s warlike behavior and condemned US protesters who incited the killing of more than 39,000 Palestinians in the conflict.
On Thursday, Mr Netanyahu had met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington. Both urged the Israeli leader to work quickly to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Mr Netanyahu is increasingly accused at home of prolonging the war to prevent the collapse of his government if the conflict ends.
For Mr. Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting was a chance to be cast as an ally and a statesman, and to sharpen Republicans’ efforts to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel .
The division among Americans over U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has opened cracks in years of strong bipartisan support for Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. aid.
For Mr. Netanyahu, repairing relations with Mr. Trump is imperative given the prospect that Mr. Trump could once again become president of the United States, Israel’s crucial arms supplier and protector.
