Republican Party nominee Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP)
- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is set to
host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Friday at his Palm Beach
resort. - This upcoming meeting, their first since Trump’s
presidency ended, occurs amid tensions between Netanyahu and current Democratic
President Joe Biden. - Trump and Netanyahu, who have historically shared similar
ideologies and policies, are looking to reaffirm their partnership.
Republican
presidential nominee Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on Friday at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said on
Tuesday, a sign the two men are looking to improve ties.
“Looking
forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,”
the former US president said in a post on Truth Social, using Netanyahu’s
nickname.
The
meeting will be their first since the end of Trump’s presidency, during which
the two forged close ties, and comes at a time of strains also between
Netanyahu and Democratic President Joe Biden over Israel’s war against Hamas
militants in Gaza.
Late
on Tuesday, Trump posted a letter written to him by Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas from a day after the former US president had been shot at a rally
in Pennsylvania.
Abbas
wished Trump “strength and safety,” according to the letter Trump
posted. In the same post Trump also said that he looked forward to meeting
Netanyahu and working toward achieving peace in the Middle East.
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Netanyahu
had angered Trump when he congratulated Biden on his victory over Trump in the
2020 election. Trump has falsely claimed the election was stolen from him by
voter fraud.
Netanyahu
had requested the in-person meeting with Trump during his visit this week to
Washington, Politico said on Monday. The Israeli embassy in Washington did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
In
a speech on Wednesday, Netanyahu will seek the renewed support of Congress for
Israel’s military operations in the Palestinian enclave. This week he will also
meet both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who on Sunday entered the
2024 presidential race after Biden pulled out.
The
Israeli leader appears to be hedging his bets about the November US election.
Polls show the race is tight. Most analysts believe a second Trump
administration would give Netanyahu a freer hand in the Gaza war.
Netanyahu
and Trump were mostly in sync ideologically and on policy during Trump’s
2017-2021 term. The US moved its embassy then from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a
long-held conservative goal that delighted Israelis and infuriated
Palestinians.
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Trump
has criticised Netanyahu for the security failures around the deadly 7 October
Hamas cross-border attack on Israel and has said Israel must quickly secure the
release of hostages taken by Hamas and finish the war in Gaza.
In
his social media post, Trump praised Netanyahu’s role in the Abraham Accords,
landmark US-brokered agreements signed during the Trump years that normalised
bilateral relations between Israel and both Bahrain and the United Arab
Emirates.
“During
my first term, we had Peace and Stability in the Region, even signing the
historic Abraham Accords – And we will have it again,” Trump said on Truth
Social.
He
said Harris, as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, was “in no
way capable of stopping” world conflicts.
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