Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday that if elected president, he would recognize Jerusalem as the “undivided capital” of Israel.
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Netanyahu, who met with President Barack Obama earlier in the week, was also scheduled to meet with Trump’s presidential rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, on Sunday.
According to the Trump campaign, “Mr. Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism”.
Such a move would be a major reversal of USA policy since the founding of Israel in 1948.
According to a readout of the meeting from the campaign, the two discussed “at length” Israel’s border fence, cited by Trump in reference to his own controversial immigration policies, which include building a wall on the U.S. – Mexico border and temporarily banning Muslims from entering the country. More recently, Netanyahu has urged Obama to avoid pushing for a Palestinian state in his final months in office. The U.S. has its embassy in Tel Aviv, and officially does not recognize Jerusalem as a part of any country.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement about the one hour-long meeting but made no mention of Trump’s pledge on Jerusalem. The Israeli leader is in NY because of the United Nations General Assembly, and has already had what is likely his last meeting with President Barack Obama while in office.
Clinton was expected to meet with the prime minister later in the day, also in NY. Their relationship soured further as the US pursued negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a trusted campaign adviser, and Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, attended the meeting.
Clinton has supported a negotiated two-state solution in the region, vowed to enforce the Iran nuclear agreement and help defend Israel’s security.
Trump tweeted Sunday that he was “looking forward to” his meeting with Netanyahu at Trump Tower, where the candidate lives. The statement said that the two men have “known each other for many years”.
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“Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed with Mr Trump issues relating to Israel’s security and its efforts to achieve stability and peace in the Middle East”, it said. “Israeli defense relationship in the 21st century as we face a range of common challenges”.
