But when Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, he promised that this policy would change: Jerusalem would henceforth be recognized as the capital of Israel.
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Netanyahu held a separate meeting later on Sunday that lasted just under an hour with Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump’s rival in the November 8 US election.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton waves as she arrives for a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a hotel in New York, September 25, 2016.
Reporters were barred from covering either meeting.
The Trump campaign did not say whether he and the Israeli leader discussed a ban on Muslim immigration that Trump has proposed and that Netanyahu has criticized or the issue of profiling as a way to counter terrorism.
While Israel calls Jerusalem its capital, few other countries accept that, including the United States.
Clinton and Netanyahu, who held several talks during her time as secretary of state, spoke about the recently-signed US-Israel defence Memorandum of Understanding to “strengthen the defence and intelligence relationship and work closely with Israel to ensure Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge”, a senior Clinton campaign aide told CNN.
The pair “discussed at length Israel’s successful experience with a security fence that helped secure its borders”, along with United States military aid to Israel, regional stability, technology and the Iran nuclear deal, which both men oppose.
Trump and Netanyahu also discussed Israel’s use of a fence to help secure its borders, an example Trump frequently cites when he’s talking about the wall he wants to build between the United States and Mexico, the campaign said.
“Trump recognised Israel as a vital partner of the United States in the global war against radical Islamic terrorism”, it said. “Mr. Netanyahu thanked Secretary Clinton for her friendship and support for Israel”. But they also served to showcase the candidates’ foreign policy views in the shadow of their first debate Monday, six weeks before Election Day. Most nations maintain embassies in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, the candidates deployed their top supporters to the Sunday shows to take early jabs at their opponents and lower expectations for a showdown expected to draw 75 million viewers – many of them disenchanted with both candidates, the least-popular presidential hopefuls in history.
He went to Trump Tower in the morning and stayed with Trump for about 90 minutes.
Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, told ABC’s “This Week” that he is concerned Trump will continue his habit of sometimes saying things that aren’t true and still get a passing grade. Conway said that Flowers had a right to be there if “somebody else gives her a ticket”.
“Gennifer Flowers will not be attending the debate tomorrow night”, Pence said on “Fox News Sunday”.
The candidate was focused on other matters Sunday.
The Trump meeting came as part of Netanyahu’s trip to NY for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
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Netanyahu, in turn, laid out Israel’s positions on Mideast security issues “as well as Israel’s efforts to achieve peace and stability in our region”, according to a statement released by the prime minister’s bureau.
