Israel Trump meets Netanyahu and calls rival Harris "disrespectful"
At a joint meeting, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrated their unity - and took a stand against Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
27.07.2024, 00:38
SDA
Trump was particularly harsh about his possible opponent in the race for the White House: "I don't know how anyone who is Jewish can vote for her, but that's up to you. But in my opinion, she was definitely disrespectful to Israel."
Netanyahu reportedly asked Trump for the meeting in Florida. Netanyahu was previously in Washington, where he addressed the US Congress. He also met US President Joe Biden and his Vice President Harris. The two Democrats called on Netanyahu to do more to protect the suffering population in the Gaza Strip and to agree to a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by the Islamist Hamas. The relationship between Biden and Netanyahu has been frosty of late.
With regard to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Harris said after her meeting with Netanyahu: "We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb in the face of suffering and I will not remain silent." In the conversation with Netanyahu, she expressed her "grave concern about the extent of human suffering in the Gaza Strip".
Trump warns of a third world war
Trump has now said that Harris is a "destroyer". US media also quoted the 78-year-old as saying: "If we win, it will be very easy. It will all be resolved, and very quickly. If we don't win, we'll all end up with big wars in the Middle East and maybe a third world war." He warned that the world has never been as close to a Third World War as it is now. "Incompetent people" running the country were to blame. Trump regularly warns of World War III in his speeches.
According to reports, Netanyahu said at the meeting with Trump that he hoped the comments made by US Vice President Harris would not make it more difficult to reach a ceasefire agreement. "I hope that we will reach an agreement. Time will tell. We are certainly very interested in it and we are working towards it," US media quoted the Israeli head of government as saying. Harris' team rejected criticism of her comments. The meeting between Harris and Netanyahu was "serious" and "collegial", a spokesperson told CNN.
First meeting in more than three years
The meeting between Netanyahu and Trump on Friday had been eagerly awaited. It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two men since Trump left the White House more than three years ago. Trump and Netanyahu were close allies during the Republican's time in office. Trump's government recognized Israel's claim to the occupied Golan Heights as well as Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The USA moved its embassy there. However, the relationship deteriorated at the end of Trump's presidency. In recent years, Trump has called Netanyahu "ungrateful" and "disloyal".
Netanyahu's reception at Trump's private villa came in the middle of the hot phase of the US election campaign. On Sunday, Biden withdrew from the presidential race. His deputy Harris is supported as a replacement candidate by Biden and many Democrats. Trump is the US Republican presidential candidate and wants to move back into the White House after the election on November 5. He repeatedly makes headlines by receiving high-ranking state guests. Just recently, the Republican met Hungary's head of government Viktor Orban at his estate.
