Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Sunday met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in NY and told him if elected to the White House he will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital.
Advertisement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves in his vehicle after a meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Trump Tower, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in NY.
During this year’s Republican presidential primaries several hopefuls, including Mr Trump, advocated the move, which United States presidents have blocked for more than 20 years.
A statement from the prime minister’s office said: “Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump for his friendship and support of Israel”.
The Trump statement said he promised Netanyahu that the U.S. would provide Israel with “extraordinary strategic, technological and military cooperation” if he is elected. They also discussed the Iran nuclear deal, which Israel strongly opposed, and the threat posed by the Islamic State group and other terrorists.
Netanyahu is expected to meet Hillary Clinton later Sunday. Such recognition would mark a departure from long-standing US policy.
Clinton also promised Netanyahu to help Israel confront regional “terrorist threats”, according to the campaign.
The closed door meeting at the W Hotel lasted about an hour, shorter than the 90 minute meeting Netanyahu had with Trump.
The Trump campaign did not say whether the two discussed a ban on Muslim immigration that Trump has proposed and which Netanyahu has criticised, or the issue of profiling as a way to counter terrorism. Both candidates likely will seek Netanyahu’s support for their respective White House bids, considering Israel is often called the United States’ most important ally. Trump has said he will erect a fence between the United States and Mexico to keep out infiltrators. Trump has argued that he has extensive experience with foreign policy through his career as a business executive and blames Clinton for numerous nation’s stumbles in foreign policy. In fact, the pledge is likely to make little difference to Israeli policymakers, who have already learned to accept the fact that regardless who occupies the Oval Office, there will always be a presidential waiver signed delaying the embassy relocation to Jerusalem.
Mr Trump’s campaign released a statement after the Trump Tower gathering, saying the two men spoke for an hour about terrorism, Iran, Isil and cybersecurity.
Advertisement
Despite the fact Trump’s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism upon her marriage to property developer and top Trump campaign aide Jared Kushner in 2009, he has made some missteps so far in the campaign on Middle East policy and appealing to Jewish voters, who make up a key demographic in American elections.
