After three years of mostly not speaking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former President Donald Trump had a warm reunion on Friday, with the Republican presidential candidate taking the opportunity to accuse the Biden administration of bringing the world to the brink of war.
“If we win, it will be very simple, it’s all going to work out, and very quickly,” Trump said as Netanyahu and his entourage looked on. “If we don’t, you’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East and maybe a Third World War. You are closer to a Third World War right now than at any time since the Second World War, you’ve never been so close because we have incompetent people running our country.”
The meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida came one day after Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee. The meeting was their first since Trump lashed out at the prime minister for congratulating Biden on his 2020 election victory, which Trump continues to baselessly deny.
Despite past acrimonies, Friday’s meeting was friendly. Video the Trump campaign posted showed Trump waiting at a door to greet Netanyahu and his wife, Sara.
“We missed you, Mr. President!” Sara Netanyahu said as she hugged Trump and took a kiss from him on both cheeks.
The campaign later posted video of Trump, the Netanyahus and their respective aides seated around a conference table.
There, Trump denied that his relationship with Netanyahu had ever soured. “It was never bad,” he said in response to a reporter’s question. “I would say it was always — no president has done what I’ve done for Israel. And we’ve always had a very good relationship.”
It is customary for visiting foreign leaders to check in with not only the president but his opposition when visiting the United States. But explicit references to the campaign during such meetings are unusual. Earlier this month, Trump had a similar meeting with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban.
The Trump campaign readout highlighted his actions on Israel as president, which closely aligned with Netanyahu’s right-wing outlook in ways no other president has.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked President Trump and his Administration for working to promote stability in the region through, among many historic achievements, the Abraham Accords, moving the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, eliminating Qasem Soleimani, ending the horrific Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as combatting anti-Semitism in America and abroad,” the statement said.
The nuclear deal was a signature initiative of the Obama administration and was fiercely opposed by Netanyahu. Soleimani was a top Iranian general — but Trump’s inclusion of his assassination in the list is notable: Days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Trump bashed Netanyahu at a rally for not taking a greater role in the operation.
“I will never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,” he said at the time. “That was a very terrible thing.”
He struck a different tone at Friday’s meeting, condemning the Oct. 7 attack and promising to stand with Israel.
“President Trump expressed his solidarity with Israel after the heinous October 7 attack, and pledged that when he returns to the White House, he will make every effort to bring Peace to the Middle East and combat anti-Semitism from spreading throughout college campuses across the United States,” the statement said.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that the war never would have occurred had he been president, though he’s largely been light on details when it comes to how he would handle the conflict now. But earlier in the week, his rhetoric on the war did not seem significantly different from that of Biden, who has been pushing Israel to agree to a ceasefire deal that would see the release of hostages.
“You have to end this, fast. It can’t continue to go on like this,” Trump said, according to Fox News. “It’s too long, it’s too much. You got to get your hostages back.”
Netanyahu’s own account of Friday’s meeting was more circumspect, saying simply that they had met. The Israeli prime minister posted photos of the meeting and of Netanyahu handing Trump gifts, including Netanyahu’s autobiography.
He also gave Trump a framed photo of Ariel Bibas, a toddler still held in captivity by Hamas. In a post on X, he wished readers “Shabbat shalom” above a photo of him and Trump, in which he held a blue baseball cap reading “Total Victory,” his stated goal in the war.
Netanyahu this week sought to demonstrate he is in good graces with the breadth of the U.S. government. He gave a speech to Congress cheered by Republicans and a substantial number of Democrats, but boycotted by dozens of other Democrats and one Republican. He also faced crowds of protesters, both pro-Palestinian activists and Israelis rallying in support of the families of hostages held in Gaza.
Netanyahu had a friendly meeting with Biden on Thursday, thanking the president for his decades of support for Israel. Biden has said a top priority in his final six months in office is ending the Gaza war.
The meeting with Harris appeared to be fraught. In a press conference afterwards, Harris emphasized the plight of Palestinian civilians and said she told Netanyahu the war must end.
A senior Israeli official expressed disappointment in Harris’ remarks, saying any perception of a gap between Israel and the United States emboldened Hamas and created obstacles to a ceasefire deal.
There were also hints of tension with Trump ahead of Friday. In the days before the meeting, Trump appeared to troll Netanyahu, posting on social media an affectionate exchange with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president Netanyahu has worked to marginalize.
Asked about Trump’s exchange with Abbas, the senior Israeli official shrugged and smiled.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
