Netanyahu Meets Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Capping Trip Marked by Gaza Protests

By Staff, Agencies

“Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited former United States President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for talks as Trump dismissed any suggestion of tensions between the pair.

Netanyahu met Trump, the Republican candidate in November’s presidential election, on Friday, a day after Netanyahu met Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to run against Trump.

The meeting capped a weeklong US visit by Netanyahu that has been met with widespread protests, boycotts from US lawmakers and warnings from rights groups about “Israel’s” war on Gaza.

Trump greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara and criticized Harris, who had voiced concern in public comments after meeting the “Israeli” premiere about the toll on Palestinian civilians from “Israel’s” aggression on the besieged territory.

“I think her remarks were disrespectful,” Trump said.

Netanyahu said “Israel” would be dispatching a negotiating team to discuss a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire in Rome “probably at the beginning of the week”, according to pool reporters.

Trump dismissed any suggestion of tensions with Netanyahu, saying the pair had “always had a very good relationship”.

Netanyahu’s visit followed an address to a joint session of the US Congress, a White House meeting with Biden and a separate meeting with Harris.

Trump, whose term as president stretched from January 2017 to January 2021, took a permissive and transactional approach to US- “Israel” ties that empowered Netanyahu’s government while largely sidelining Palestinian interests.

But Netanyahu’s acceptance of Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election while Trump claimed fraud saw the relationship sour.

“I still like Bibi,” he added. “But I also like loyalty.”

Before Friday’s meeting, officials told “Israeli” media that Netanyahu’s had already begun his charm offensive, calling Trump for the first time in years this month.

After his address to Congress, Netanyahu met with Biden at the White House, where officials said the US president pressed the “Israeli” leader on a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire.