After political appointments in the US capital Washington, Israel’s head of government travels on to Florida. There he meets a man in election campaign mode.
At a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sharply attacked his political rival Kamala Harris. “She is truly a destroyer. (…) I think her comments were disrespectful. They were not very nice about Israel,” Trump said at the meeting with Netanyahu at his Florida estate.
US Vice President and presidential candidate Harris had previously said after a meeting with Netanyahu, referring to the humanitarian situation in Gaza: “We cannot look away from these tragedies. We cannot afford to become numb to the suffering, and I will not remain silent.” Trump now said: “I don’t know how anyone who is Jewish could vote for her, but that’s up to each individual. But in my opinion, she was certainly disrespectful to Israel.”
Trump assures Netanyahu of full solidarity
The meeting between Netanyahu and Trump was the first personal meeting between the two men since Trump left the White House more than three years ago. According to Trump’s campaign team, the Republican assured Netanyahu of his full solidarity during the conversation. He promised Netanyahu that if he were re-elected he would do everything in his power to promote peace in the Middle East and to combat anti-Semitism at US universities.
At the meeting, Netanyahu praised Trump’s services to Israel during his term in office from 2017 to 2021, it said. Netanyahu praised Trump’s mediation in the negotiations of the so-called Abraham Accords, the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of sovereignty over the Golan Heights, the killing of Iranian General Soleimani, the termination of the nuclear agreement with Iran and his fight against anti-Semitism.
Meeting in hot phase of the US election campaign
Trump is the US Republican presidential candidate and wants to move back into the White House after the election on November 5. Netanyahu’s reception in Trump’s private villa comes in the middle of the hot phase of the US election campaign. On Sunday, incumbent President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. His deputy Harris is supported as a replacement candidate by Biden and many Democrats.
Netanyahu is currently on a multi-day trip to the USA. On Wednesday, he defended Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip in a speech to the US Congress. According to his own statements, he also discussed artificial intelligence and its impact on the economy with tech billionaire Elon Musk on the sidelines of the speech. On Thursday, he was received by both Biden and Harris for separate talks at the White House.
