WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump met Monday afternoon at the White House, the second time the pair have met in just over two months.
Iran nuclear program
What they’re saying:
Trump said Monday that the U.S. is holding direct talks with Iran about its nuclear program, warning that Tehran would be in “great danger” if the talks aren’t successful.
The president, in comments to reporters after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the talks with Tehran would start Saturday. He insisted Tehran can’t get nuclear weapons.
“We’re dealing with them directly and maybe a deal is going to be made,” Trump said. He added that “doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious.”
Trump said the talks would happen “at almost the highest level.”
Trump during his first White House term withdrew the U.S. from the landmark nuclear accord with Iran negotiated by Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration.
At the time, Trump declared he was making the world safer, but he also deepened his isolation on the world stage and revived doubts about American credibility.
The 2015 agreement, which also included Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, had lifted most U.S. and international economic sanctions against Iran.
“I think it’ll be, different and maybe a lot stronger,” Trump said on how a new deal might be different from the one negotiated by Obama officials.
Tariffs on Israel
What they’re saying:
Netanyahu proclaimed at the White House that Israel would work to eliminate the trade deficit with the U.S.
“We will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States,” Netanyahu said “We intend to do it very quickly.”
But that might not be enough for Trump to change his mind on the 17% tariffs the U.S. imposed on Israel last week.
“Maybe not,” Trump said when asked whether he would reduce the tariffs on Israeli goods. Referring to the billions in aid that the U.S. offers every year, Trump added: “Don’t forget, we help Israel a lot.”
Although Israel is a tiny market for U.S. products, the United States is a key trade partner of Israel. Much of that trade is for high-tech services, which are not directly affected by the tariffs, but key Israeli industries could be impacted.
Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations, said he expected Trump to use the tariffs as leverage to force concessions from Netanyahu.
In Israel’s case, those concessions might not be economic. Trump may pressure Netanyahu to move toward ending the war in Gaza — at the very least through some interim truce with Hamas that would pause the fighting and free more hostages.
Hostages in Gaza
What they’re saying:
Netanyahu said he and Trump discussed ongoing efforts to get hostages released from Gaza and said they are working on another deal to release hostages “that we hope will succeed.”
“I speak to [the hostages] every day. They’re in agony. The hostages are in agony, and we want to get them all out,” said Netanyahu.
“We’re committed to getting all the hostages out, but also eliminating the evil tyranny of Hamas in Gaza and enabling the people of Gaza to freely make a choice to go wherever they want.”
The Israeli leader said that they’re committed to getting all of the hostages released and eliminating Hamas from Gaza.
He said he also spoke to Trump about the U.S. president’s plan to move displaced Palestinians from Gaza while it’s redeveloped, which Netanyahu called a “bold” vision.
The Source: This story includes reporting from FOX News Digital and the Associated Press.
