Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have presented a united front and heaped praise on each other as they held another meeting to discuss the tensions in the Middle East.
On Monday, Netanyahu paid his fifth visit to the United States since Trump’s inauguration in January, meeting the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
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Their mutual flattery turned into geopolitical alignment as the two leaders addressed the most pressing issues in the Middle East: Gaza and Iran.
Trump claimed that Israel is helping the people of Gaza and dismissed the near-daily Israeli ceasefire violations.
Here are the key takeaways from Monday’s meeting.
Trump stresses Hamas must disarm
Before and after his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump stressed that Hamas must disarm, issuing a stern threat to the Palestinian group.
Asked what would happen if Hamas refused to give up its weapons, Trump said: “It would be horrible for them, horrible. It’s going to be really, really bad for them.”
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington’s top priority was to move to the second phase of the ceasefire, which would see the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian administration and the deployment of an international police force.
But on Monday, Trump kept the focus on Hamas, reiterating the claim that other countries have offered to “wipe them out” if the group refuses to give up its weapons.
Israel has killed 414 Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire in October, and it continues to restrict the flow of international aid into the territory, including temporary shelter provisions, despite people suffering deadly weather conditions in makeshift tents.
Trump, however, said that Israel is fully living up to its commitments under the deal – “100 percent”.
“I’m not concerned about anything that Israel is doing,” he told reporters.
US threatens Iran
Trump suggested that Washington would carry out further military action against Iran if Tehran rebuilds its nuclear programme or missile capacity.
The president kept returning to the oft-cited argument that the US air strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in June are what paved the way for the ceasefire in Gaza.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down,” Trump said.
“We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But, hopefully, that’s not happening.”
In recent weeks, Israeli officials and their US allies have shifted the focus to Iran’s missile programme, arguing it should be dealt with before it poses a threat to Israel.
When asked whether the US would back an Israeli attack targeting Iran’s missile programme, Trump said, “If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear? Fast. OK? One will be: Yes, absolutely. The other is: We’ll do it immediately.”
Iran has ruled out negotiating over its missile programme, and it has denied seeking to build a nuclear weapon.
Israel, meanwhile, is widely believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Bromance festival
Since the early days of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, US media reports have suggested that the US president, first Joe Biden, then Trump, was angry or frustrated at Netanyahu.
But the US military and diplomatic support for Israel has never been interrupted.
Ahead of Netanyahu’s visit, similar reports emerged about a potential rift between him and Trump.
Nonetheless, the two leaders put on a show of brotherly romance on Monday.
Trump called Netanyahu a “hero”, stressing that Israel may not have existed without his wartime leadership.
“We’re with you, and we’ll continue to be with you, and a lot of good things are happening in the Middle East,” Trump told Netanyahu.
“We have peace in the Middle East, and we’re going to try and keep it that way. I think we will be very successful in keeping it that way. And you’ve been a great friend.”
The US president also highlighted his efforts to secure a presidential pardon for Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges in Israel.
The Israeli prime minister announced that the US president will be awarded the Israel Prize, which is normally given to Israeli citizens.
“I have to say that this reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis across the spectrum,” Netanyahu said.
“They appreciate what you’ve done to help Israel, and to help our common battle against the terrorists and those who would destroy our civilisation.”
Netanyahu has notably not been pardoned.
Trump calls for Israel-Syria rapprochement
One area where Trump appeared to press Netanyahu was Syria.
Trump said Netanyahu is “going to get along” with Syria, lauding Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad last year, Israel has expanded its occupation of southern Syria beyond the Golan Heights, seizing large areas in Jabal al-Sheikh. The Israeli military has also been carrying out raids, reportedly abducting and disappearing people in the country.
The new Syrian authorities have stressed that they do not seek conflict with Israel, but talks to reach a security agreement between the two countries have stalled.
“We do have an understanding regarding Syria,” Trump said. “Now, with Syria, you have a new president. I respect him. He’s a very strong guy, and that’s what you need in Syria.”
Netanyahu was non-committal on Israel’s approach to Syria.
“Our interest is to have a peaceful border with Syria,” he said. “We want to make sure that the border area right next to our border is safe — we don’t have terrorists, we don’t have attacks.”
On renewed war in Lebanon: ‘We’ll see about it.’
Since the start of the truce in Gaza, Israel has intensified its attacks in Lebanon, leading to fears that it may re-launch its full-scale war against the country.
Earlier this year, the Lebanese government issued a decree to disarm Hezbollah, but the group pledged to hold onto its weapons to defend the country against Israel.
On Monday, Trump did not rule out renewing the conflict in Lebanon.
“We’ll see about it,” the president said when asked whether he would support more Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
“The Lebanese government is at a little bit of a disadvantage, if you think of it, with Hezbollah. But Hezbollah has been behaving badly, so we’ll see what happens.”
