Trump, Netanyahu Meet for the First Time in Nearly 4 Years

Former President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Friday, the first time the pair have met since the former president left office in January 2021.

“If we don’t,“ he added, ”you’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East, and maybe a third world war.”

That work included negotiating the Abraham Accords, relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and “recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights,“ the campaign said. The Trump team also cited “eliminating Qasem Soleimani, ending the horrific Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as combatting anti-Semitism in America and abroad” as accomplishments.

Former President Trump also “expressed his solidarity with Israel” in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists. He promised “to bring Peace to the Middle East and combat anti-Semitism from spreading throughout college campuses across the United States.”

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The last time Mr. Netanyahu met with former President Trump was at the White House in September 2020 at a signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords deal, which was brokered by the former president.

Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now considered the presumptive Democratic nominee, met with Mr. Netanyahu at the White House earlier this week. Neither attended Mr. Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Tuesday.

During his speech on Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu made mention of former President Trump’s support of Israel, namely for the Abraham Accords, which were a series of agreements to normalize relations between Israel and Bahrain as well as Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

“I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in brokering the historic Abraham Accords. Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on American democracy. There is no room for political violence in democracies,” the Israeli prime minister said.

His speech became the object of protests at the U.S. Capitol and around Washington, where some anti-Israel protesters burned American flags. Some also announced their support for Hamas, the Palestinian group that has long been deemed a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State and launched an attack that left 1,200 Israeli civilians dead last October.

In response, Ms. Harris on Thursday criticized the burning of American flags in Washington and pro-Hamas graffiti in Washington.

“I condemn the burning of the American flag,” the vice president said in a statement. “It should never be desecrated in that way.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Thursday that he also condemns the graffiti, saying, “it is unacceptable to deface public property, desecrate the American flag, threaten Jews with violence, or promote terrorist organizations like Hamas.”

After Ms. Harris met with Mr. Netanyahu on Thursday, she told reporters that she believes that Israel has the right to defend itself but that she has concerns about the situation in Gaza.

“I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself including from Iran and Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah,” the vice president said.

Israel has the “right to defend itself, but how it does so matters,” she said. In their meeting, Ms. Harris said she spoke with the Israeli prime minister about the “the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.”

Janice Hisle contributed to this report.