(Elias Irizarry, Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., marking the first time the two have met since Trump left office after the 2020 election.
President Trump during a sit down with Prime Minister Netanyahu
"We are closer to a third world war right now, than any other time since world war II " pic.twitter.com/kT91v4OBii
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 26, 2024
Trump expressed his solidarity with Netanyahu and Israel in their conflict against Hamas. He additionally warned that World War III could start if he loses the election against Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming that she’s weak on the Middle East and foreign policy
“You’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East. And maybe a third World War,” Trump told Netanyahu.
“You are closer to a third World War right now than at any time since the Second World War,” he added. “We’ve never been so close because we have incompetent people running the country.”
Netanyahu additionally showed Trump a picture of a toddler being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, stating that the father asked Netanyahu to present it to him, a gesture that Trump called “very moving” as he pledged to handle the situation as president.
Trump announced the meeting on Truth Social days before, writing “Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving peace in the Middle East!”
Alongside his post, Trump attached a letter from the president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, wishing him “strength and safety” after his assassination attempt, with writing on the letter from Trump saying “so nice – thank you – everything will be good.”
During his first term, Trump famously brokered the Abraham Accords, helping Israel to make historic peace agreements with several of its Arab neighbors, largely due to the diminished influence of Iran amid U.S. sanctions and other forms of pressure.
The Biden administration, however, began negotiating with Iran even before formally assuming the presidency and had just released billions of dollars to the terrorist-backing regime when Hamas shocked Israel with its Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, slaughtering some 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostages.
The meeting on Friday, July 26, marked Netanyahu’s final stop in his visit to the United States, having visited President Joe Biden and Harris the day before, along with an address to Congress on Wednesday.
Netanyahu’s visit to the Capitol was greeted by left-wing rioting and boycotts from many Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, also boycotted the address—later awkwardly meeting Netanyahu at the White House as she seeks to curry favor with her far-left base, which has been supportive of Hamas in the conflict.
Notice the difference between Vice President Kamala Harris meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump meeting with the Israeli PM.
Kamala’s interaction is very awkward as she is trying to walk a fine line between the far-left Democrats who hate… pic.twitter.com/HBT6aU3CMB
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) July 26, 2024
“It is time for this war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination,” Harris said after her meeting. “As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done. Let’s get the deal done.”
Harris’s aggressive, scolding tone reportedly left Netanyahu bewildered, with one Israeli official telling Axios, “We hope that Harris’s public criticism of Israel won’t give Hamas the impression that there is daylight between the U.S. and Israel and as a result make it harder to get a deal.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, condemned Harris for snubbing Netanyahu to pander to the radical far-left and pro-Hamas branch within the Democratic Party.
“Kamala Harris’s base vandalized Union Station, burned our flag, and replaced Old Glory with a Palestinian flag,” said Cruz on Fox News. “She refused to do her duty and attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech because she is pandering to these antisemitic extremists and counting on their votes.”
Kamala Harris's base vandalized Union Station, burned our flag, and replaced Old Glory with a Palestinian flag.
She refused to do her duty and attend Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech because she is pandering to these antisemitic extremists and counting on their votes. pic.twitter.com/3gec7mnFTa
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 26, 2024
Trump additionally chimed in during his meeting with Netanyahu, slamming Harris for her statement.
“I think her remarks were disrespectful, they weren’t very nice, pertaining to Israel,” said Trump in a press conference with Netanyahu. “I actually don’t know how a person who is Jewish could vote for her, but that’s up to them, but she was certainly disrespectful to Israel in my opinion.”
#WATCH | Donald Trump to Netanyahu: “I think [Kamala Harris’] remarks were disrespectful… pertaining to Israel. I actually don’t know how a person who’s Jewish can vote for her.” pic.twitter.com/rvJpjIls6x
— VOZ (@Voz_US) July 26, 2024
The meeting reflected a reconciliation between Trump and Netanyahu ahead of the 2024 presidential election after the friendship between the two reportedly soured in 2020, when Netanyahu quickly congratulated Biden on his victory—a move that Trump said he saw as disloyalty from the fellow conservative in light of Trump’s unwavering support.
Trump was continuing to challenge the election results at the time, so Netanyahu’s decision to weigh in effectively undermined those efforts at a time when he was particularly short on allies.
When asked if their relationship had improved, Trump responded “It was never bad, I would say it was always good. No President has done what I’ve done for Israel.”
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