Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate, on July 26, 2024, in Florida, U.S.
| Photo Credit: AP
A beaming former U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to their first face-to-face meeting in nearly four years on Friday, patching up a political alliance important to both men that had broken down when the Israeli leader offended Mr. Trump by being one of the first to congratulate Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory.
Asked by journalists if his U.S. trip was making progress toward a Gaza ceasefire at home, Mr. Netanyahu said, “I hope so,” and added that Israel was eager for an agreement.
Mr. Netanyahu handed Mr. Trump a framed photo that the Israeli leader said showed a child who has been held hostage by Hamas-led militants since the first hours of the war. “We’ll get it taken care of,” Mr. Trump assured him.
Mr. Trump’s campaign said he pledged in the meeting to “make every effort to bring peace to the Middle East” and combat antisemitism on college campuses if American voters elect him to the presidency in November.
Mr. Trump was waiting for Mr. Netanyahu on the stone steps outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he warmly clasped the hands of the Israeli leader. Both men have a strong interest in resuming their relationship, including for the political support and luster their alliance brings.
“We’ve always had a great relationship,” Trump insisted before journalists. Asked as the two sat down in a muraled room for talks if Netanyahu’s trip to Mar-a-Lago was repairing their bond, Mr. Trump responded, “It was never bad.”
As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Mr. Netanyahu’s top wishes from the United States. Yet by the time Mr. Trump left the White House, relations had soured, with Mr. Trump publicly criticising Netanyahu as disloyal despite the other man’s efforts to mend ties.
For both men, Friday’s meeting was aimed at highlighting for their home audiences in the United States and Israel their depiction of themselves as strong leaders who have gotten big things done on the world stage, and can again.
Mr. Netanyahu’s Florida trip followed a fiery address to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday that defended his far-right government’s conduct of the war and condemned American protesters galvanised by the killing of more than 39,000 Palestinians in the conflict.
On Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu had met in Washington with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Both pressed the Israeli leader to work quickly to wrap up a deal to bring a cease-fire and release hostages.
Mr. Netanyahu is increasingly accused at home of prolonging the war to stave off the collapse of his government when the conflict ends.
For Mr. Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting was a chance to be cast as an ally and statesman, as well as to sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel.
Divisions among Americans over U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza have opened cracks in years of strong bipartisan backing for Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid.
For Mr. Netanyahu, repairing relations with Mr. Trump is imperative given the prospect that Mr. Trump may once again become president of the United States, which is Israel’s vital arms supplier and protector.
