Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for the US on Sunday to meet the American president Donald TrumpLooking to strengthen ties with the US government after tensions with the Biden administration during the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu left for Washington in the middle of the ceases – the fire with Hamas – including hostages – still in force and negotiations for a second phase that is expected to start this week. He will be the first foreign leader to visit Trump since his inauguration on January 20.
“The fact that this will be his first meeting with a leader of a foreign country, because his inauguration has great significance for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
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President Donald Trump (L) shakes the hands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) while posing for a photo during their meeting in Mar-A-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26, 2024. (Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO) / Handout / Anadolu via Getty images)
“First of all, it indicates the strength of the alliance between Israel and the United States. Secondly, it also reflects the strength of our connection; a connection that has already produced great things for the state of Israel and the region, and also brought the historical Peace agreements between Israel and four Arab countries – the ‘Abraham Accords’ that President Trump led: “The Prime Minister continued.
This comes almost 16 months after the war in Gaza started, inspired by Hamas’ 7 October 2023, attack on Israel, which leads to military retribution of Israeli troops.
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The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024. (Maya Alluzzo/Pool/AFP via Getty images)
“The decisions we made during the war, in combination with the courage of our IDF soldiers, have already changed the face of the middle -old,” said Netanyahu. “They changed it without recognition. I believe that we can change it even more with hard work alongside President Trump.”
“Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have again hit the map. But I believe we work closely with President Trump, we can draw it even further and better,” he added.
Netanyahu and former US President Joe Biden Experienced tension in their relationship during the last government in Washington, and the Israeli Prime Minister has not visited the White House since he returned to the office at the end of 2022.
President Donald Trump meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his Mar-A-Lago estate, Friday 26 July 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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“We can strengthen the safety of Israel, we can further expand the circle of peace and we can achieve a beautiful era that we have never dreamed of. An era of prosperity, safety and peace from a position in force,” said Netanyahu. “The power of our soldiers, the power of our citizens, the power of Israel and the power of the alliance between Israel and the United States.”
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel and Reuters have contributed to this report.
