Five key takeaways from Trump-Netanyahu meeting in Florida

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump person presented a agreed beforehand and heaped praise connected each different arsenic they held another meeting to sermon the tensions successful the Middle East.

On Monday, Netanyahu paid his 5th sojourn to the United States since Trump’s inauguration successful January, gathering the president astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida.

Trump stresses Hamas indispensable disarm

Before and aft his gathering with Netanyahu, Trump stressed that Hamas indispensable disarm, issuing a stern menace to the Palestinian group.

Asked what would hap if Hamas refused to springiness up its weapons, Trump said: “It would beryllium horrible for them, horrible. It’s going to beryllium really, truly atrocious for them.”

Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington’s apical precedence was to determination to the 2nd signifier of the ceasefire, which would spot the constitution of a technocratic Palestinian medication and the deployment of an planetary constabulary force.

But connected Monday, Trump kept the absorption connected Hamas, reiterating the assertion that different countries person offered to “wipe them out” if the radical refuses to springiness up its weapons.

Israel has killed 414 Palestinians successful Gaza since the commencement of the ceasefire successful October, and it continues to restrict the travel of planetary assistance into the territory, including impermanent structure provisions, contempt radical suffering deadly upwind conditions successful makeshift tents.

Trump, however, said that Israel is afloat surviving up to its commitments nether the woody – “100 percent”.

“I’m not acrophobic astir thing that Israel is doing,” helium told reporters.

US threatens Iran

Trump suggested that Washington would transportation retired further subject enactment against Iran if Tehran rebuilds its atomic programme oregon rocket capacity.

The president kept returning to the oft-cited statement that the US air strikes against Iranian atomic facilities successful June are what paved the mode for the ceasefire successful Gaza.

“Now I perceive that Iran is trying to physique up again, and if they are, we’re going to person to sound them down,” Trump said.

“We’ll sound them down. We’ll sound the hellhole retired of them. But, hopefully, that’s not happening.”

In caller weeks, Israeli officials and their US allies person shifted the absorption to Iran’s rocket programme, arguing it should beryllium dealt with earlier it poses a menace to Israel.

When asked whether the US would backmost an Israeli onslaught targeting Iran’s missile programme, Trump said, “If they volition proceed with the missiles, yes. The nuclear? Fast. OK? One volition be: Yes, absolutely. The different is: We’ll bash it immediately.”

Iran has ruled retired negotiating implicit its rocket programme, and it has denied seeking to physique a atomic weapon.

Israel, meanwhile, is wide believed to person an undeclared atomic arsenal.

Bromance festival

Since the aboriginal days of Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza, US media reports person suggested that the US president, archetypal Joe Biden, past Trump, was angry oregon frustrated astatine Netanyahu.

But the US subject and diplomatic enactment for Israel has ne'er been interrupted.

Ahead of Netanyahu’s visit, akin reports emerged astir a imaginable rift betwixt him and Trump.

Nonetheless, the 2 leaders enactment connected a amusement of brotherly romance connected Monday.

Trump called Netanyahu a “hero”, stressing that Israel whitethorn not person existed without his wartime leadership.

“We’re with you, and we’ll proceed to beryllium with you, and a batch of bully things are happening successful the Middle East,” Trump told Netanyahu.

“We person bid successful the Middle East, and we’re going to effort and support it that way. I deliberation we volition beryllium precise palmy successful keeping it that way. And you’ve been a large friend.”

The US president besides highlighted his efforts to unafraid a presidential pardon for Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges successful Israel.

The Israeli premier curate announced that the US president volition beryllium awarded the Israel Prize, which is usually fixed to Israeli citizens.

“I person to accidental that this reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis crossed the spectrum,” Netanyahu said.

“They admit what you’ve done to assistance Israel, and to assistance our communal conflict against the terrorists and those who would destruct our civilisation.”

Netanyahu has notably not been pardoned.

Trump calls for Israel-Syria rapprochement

One country wherever Trump appeared to property Netanyahu was Syria.

Trump said Netanyahu is “going to get along” with Syria, lauding Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Since the autumn of erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad past year, Israel has expanded its concern of confederate Syria beyond the Golan Heights, seizing ample areas successful Jabal al-Sheikh. The Israeli subject has besides been carrying retired raids, reportedly abducting and disappearing radical successful the country.

The caller Syrian authorities person stressed that they bash not question struggle with Israel, but talks to scope a information statement betwixt the 2 countries person stalled.

“We bash person an knowing regarding Syria,” Trump said. “Now, with Syria, you person a caller president. I respect him. He’s a precise beardown guy, and that’s what you request successful Syria.”

Netanyahu was non-committal connected Israel’s attack to Syria.

“Our involvement is to person a peaceful borderline with Syria,” helium said. “We privation to marque definite that the borderline country close adjacent to our borderline is harmless — we don’t person terrorists, we don’t person attacks.”

On renewed warfare successful Lebanon: ‘We’ll spot astir it.’

Since the commencement of the truce successful Gaza, Israel has intensified its attacks successful Lebanon, starring to fears that it whitethorn re-launch its full-scale warfare against the country.

Earlier this year, the Lebanese authorities issued a decree to disarm Hezbollah, but the radical pledged to clasp onto its weapons to support the state against Israel.

On Monday, Trump did not regularisation retired renewing the struggle successful Lebanon.

“We’ll spot astir it,” the president said erstwhile asked whether helium would enactment much Israeli strikes successful Lebanon.

“The Lebanese authorities is astatine a small spot of a disadvantage, if you deliberation of it, with Hezbollah. But Hezbollah has been behaving badly, truthful we’ll spot what happens.”

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