Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Sunday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if elected, the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the campaign said, marking a potential dramatic shift in US policy on the issue.
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Netanyahu’s office tweeted out a photo of the two men, which was also released by the Trump campaign, and put out a brief statement on the meeting, stating that it was also attended by Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is Jewish.
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3,000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel”, the statement reads. He will meet with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton later Sunday, at 6:30 P.M. EST (1:30 A.M Israel time).
He’s also expected to try and convince the two to block any anti-resolution in the UN Security Council, including an effort rumored to be in the works from US President Barack Obama after the election but before he leaves office. Netanyahu was in NY for last week’s U.N. General Assembly meeting.
Reporters were barred from covering the meeting. This would be a reversal of USA policy since the founding of Israel in 1948.
Trump’s campaign stated: “The two discussed the special relationship between the countries, security issues and regional stability”.
Trump and Netanyahu met on Sunday at Trump’s residence behind closed doors.
Apparently, to cement the “unbreakable bond” and “special relationship” that Israel and U.S. enjoy, Trump said he would seek to revise the USA official stance on the status of Jerusalem.
Sources in the PMO explained why Netanyahu went to Trump rather than the other way around, saying that the prime minister understands and respects the time constraints on Trump just prior to his debate with Clinton Monday evening in NY.
Clinton has supported a negotiated two-state solution in the region, vowed to enforce the Iran nuclear agreement and help defend Israel’s security.
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“The prime minister’s instruction was clear – if we meet with one side, we must also meet with the other side”, a senior official said. The meeting was Trump’s first with a Muslim leader. In this statement, Clinton effectively distanced herself from the Obama administration, who has refused to rule out a United Nations move in the final months of his administration.
