Washington — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida, one day after the Israeli leader met with President Biden and Vice President Kamala separately at the White House.
Trump allowed reporters into the meeting briefly. Asked what a working relationship with Israel would look like in a second Trump administration, Trump suggested the current U.S. leadership could lead to a “third world war.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” Trump said. “If we win, it will be very simple. It’s all going to work out and very quickly. If we don’t we’re all 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 during the second world war. You’ve never been so close because you have incompetent people running our country.”
Trump also said terminating the Iran nuclear deal was maybe the “best thing” he did for Israel, and touted his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
Netanyahu has been in Washington this week to address Congress and urge elected officials to continue the United States’ support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. He arrived at Mar-a-Lago just before noon. About 50 pro-Palestinian protesters were on the bridge leading to the resort.
Asked about the status of hostage and cease-fire negotiations, Netanyahu told reporters, “I think there’s been some movement because of the military pressure we exerted. I hope it will be sufficient movement to get the deal completed.”
Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president after Mr. Biden bowed out of the race, warned Netanyahu that she will “not be silent” on the human suffering in Gaza. She said she had a “frank and constructive” conversation with Netanyahu, affirming Israel’s right to defend itself and the need to bring hostages held by Hamas home, but also insisting it’s time to end the war.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering,” she said after meeting with Netanyahu.
The Biden administration ratcheted up pressure on Netanyahu to accept an elusive cease-fire deal with Hamas during meetings in Washington, but Israel appears to have issued new demands in the negotiations for an agreement to secure the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for a halt in the war. A diplomat familiar with the ongoing talks told CBS News just hours before Netanyahu met with Mr. Biden that the Israeli leader had put forward new terms that could make an accord harder to reach.
Netanyahu and Trump have met before, when Trump was president. It’s somewhat unusual for a foreign leader to meet with a presidential candidate who isn’t currently in the White House. After the 2020 presidential election, Netanyahu congratulated then President-elect Biden, to Trump’s irritation.
Netanyahu addressed Congress on Wednesday, saying the world is “in upheaval” in a clash not of civilizations, but “a clash between barbarism and civilization.” Netanyahu thanked Trump for his leadership in brokering the Abraham accords, which normalized relations among Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. He also thanked Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the U.S. Embassy there, among other things. Netanyahu also expressed relief for Trump’s safety after the assassination attempt nearly two weeks ago.
“Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on democracy,” Netanyahu said. “There is no room for political violence in democracies.”
Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday that Netanyahu was “very nice to me” in his address to Congress, and expressed appreciation that the Israeli leader was coming to visit him. But on the show, Trump also cautioned Netanyahu that he needs to end the war, and soon.
“I want him to finish up and get it done quickly,” Trump said. “You got to get it done quickly because they are getting decimated with this publicity. And, you know, Israel is not very good at public relations.”
On Friday, Trump insisted his relationship with Netanyahu was “never bad.”
As Netanyahu addressed Congress Wednesday, pro-Palestine demonstrators descended on Union Station near the Capitol, graffitiing a monument and replica of the Liberty Bell, including one spray-painted message reading “Hamas is coming.” They also tore down American flags flying outside the train station and set at least one of them on fire.
On Thursday, Harris condemned the pro-Hamas demonstrators’ actions.
“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” Harris said in a statement. “Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.”