Benjamin Netanyahu meeting Donald Trump
– Photo: ANI
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Former US President Donald Trump on Friday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his private club and residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. During this, Trump claimed that if he had won the 2020 election, Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and the war in Gaza would not have happened. Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu came a day after his statement in which he said that Israel would have to end the ongoing war with Hamas quickly. The last meeting of the two leaders took place in 2020.
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“There has been a meeting with Trump,” Netanyahu said in a post on X. Although Trump has not offered a clear plan on how he would help end the conflict, he has repeatedly suggested that he supports Israel using more force in Gaza.
Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel who often calls himself the country’s strongest ally to serve in the White House, has been critical of Israel since it began its military effort in Gaza, including over the fact that Israel shared the footage.
Notably, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office had warned of possible protests outside Friday’s meeting, but little activity was seen in the area amid tight security in the wake of the assassination attempt against the former president. A small group of protesters stood on the sidewalk of the bridge leading to Mar-a-Lago carrying Palestinian flags and calling for an end to the conflict, but commented specifically on the meeting with a sign that read ‘Convicted criminal meets war criminal’.
According to the information, the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu became strained after Netanyahu congratulated Biden on winning the presidential election in 2020. A few days after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel in October, Trump criticized Netanyahu and Israeli intelligence officials as ill-prepared. But, he has since backed down from those criticisms.
Trump this week posted a letter on Truth Social that he received from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas following an assassination attempt against him at a Pennsylvania rally this month. Writing the day after the shooting, Abbas said he was “deeply concerned” after viewing footage of the incident, adding that he believed “differences should be resolved through communication” rather than violence. In his post sharing the letter, Trump wrote, “Looking forward to meeting Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more looking forward to achieving peace in the Middle East!”
Earlier on Thursday, Netanyahu met US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He also addressed a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday.