Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was warmly greeted by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate on Friday.
This is the first meeting of the Israeli leader and former U.S. president since nearly four years ago, in September 2020.
The two shared close relations during Trump’s administration, but following Netanyahu’s public announcement that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, their relationship began to fray.
A video posted on Trump’s Truth Social account on Friday, show the former president greeting the prime minister and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, at the top of the steps.
Trump appeared publicly for the first time without the bandage on his ear from a wound he received after an assassination attempt by Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13.
Two weeks ago, 20-year-old Crooks opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI) is investigating as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism.
The shooter was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper. One rally attendee, 50-year-old former firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting and two more were seriously injured, according to the Secret Service. They were reported to be in stable condition as of Monday.
Today, Trump’s doctor, Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, released a letter dispelling doubts that Trump was hit with shrapnel instead of a bullet, saying, “There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet.”
On Friday, Netanyahu and Trump spoke about the ongoing war and Trump pledged to “combat antisemitism from spreading throughout college campuses across the United States,” if elected to the Oval Office, according to the campaign’s latest statement.
Trump told Netanyahu if he doesn’t win the U.S. presidential election in November, there will be a major war in the Middle East and potentially a “third world war,” The Hill reported.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson for comment via email on Friday,
His visit comes as Israel continues to push on in its more than nine-month war in Gaza following Hamas‘ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and resulted in about 250 hostages, of which around 120 remain held.
Israel has since engaged in numerous air and ground offensives, razing much of Gaza while displacing more than 2.1 million Palestinians and killing upward of 39,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, per The Associated Press (AP).
Netanyahu has been on a U.S. tour since Monday, spending several days in Washington, D.C., where he gave a joint address to Congress about the ongoing Israel-Gaza war and met with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now running for president since Biden exited the race Sunday.
In his Congressional address he both thanked Biden for his military and diplomatic support of Israel during the ongoing war, while also praising Trump “for all the things he did for Israel.”
During Trump’s presidency he helped broker the Abraham Accords, moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, among other initiatives that were favorable to Israel.
In his speech, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s stance, stating: “Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.”
“That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less,” he added.
Netanyahu’s presence in the U.S. has drawn mass demonstrations from Americans who do not support his leadership and military activities in Gaza. Thousands of demonstrators called for his arrest, for the U.S. to stop supporting Israel, and for a “Free Palestine” outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
