Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are meeting separately with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in sessions that could set the tone for relations between the allied countries during the next presidential administration.
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Netanyahu met with Trump for more than an hour at Trump’s residence in NY, according to a Facebook post from the prime minister. The Democratic nominee’s replacement in the Senate, Sen.
According to a readout provided by the Republican’s campaign, the nominee signaled support for the controversial moving of the USA embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the real estate developer “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 topics of military assistance, security and regional stability were addressed”.
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3000 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 campaign said. This would be a reversal of US policy since the founding of Israel in 1948.
In recent weeks Washington has toughened its criticism of Israel’s accelerated building of settlements on occupied land in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, warning that it could destroy hopes for peace with the Palestinians. In 2015 the Supreme Court supported the president’s decision to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv. Trump was also criticized for invoking Jewish stereotypes in that appearance.
Trump recorded a video endorsing Netanyahu in 2013.
In a statement released afterward, Clinton said a “strong and secure Israel” is vital to the United States. The prime minister also thanked Clinton for her “friendship and support for Israel”. Clinton also stressed her commitment to countering attempts to delegitimize Israel, including through the BDS movement.
Netanyahu vehemently opposed to the deal, and according to Clinton’s campaign, she “committed to continue to work closely with Israel to enforce and implement the nuclear deal with Iran”. According to CNN, Clinton and Netanyahu also spoke about the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Similarly, a senior Clinton aide said that the two had an “in-depth” conversation. It says that the meeting with Trump came together on Friday after calls between Trump aides and Netanyahu’s advisers. Netanyahu, who in 2012 acted in a way that was perceived as him interfering on behalf of nominee Mitt Romney and against the incumbent president, Barack Obama, is interested in avoiding giving even the slightest impression of interference.
The meeting was the first of two that Netanyahu held with presidential candidates on Sunday, the day before the first presidential debate.
Both meetings come on the eve of the first presidential debate.
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