Beirut, Feb 3: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday departed for the United States for “a very important meeting” with US President Donald Trump.He said Israeli has changed the “face of the Middle East,” and by “working closely” with President Trump, “we can redraw” the map even further and for the “better.”
“The decisions we made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East. Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better. I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.
He said that the fact that this would be Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his assumption of office is a “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”
“I’m leaving for a very important meeting with Donald Trump in Washington. The fact that this would be President Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration is telling. I think it’s a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship.”
Netanyahu said that the friendship between him and Trump yielded “important results” for Israel and the Middle East, including the Abraham Accords.
“That friendship and that cooperation has already yielded important results for Israel and the Middle East, including the historic Abraham Accords that President Trump led and which brought four historic peace treaties between Israel and its Arab neighbours,” he said.
He added that the two will discuss important issues facing Israel, like achieving victory over Hamas and the release of all hostages.
“In this meeting we’ll deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region: victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components–an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world,” he said.
Netanyahu was probably referring to ties with Saudi Arabia, The Times of Israel reported. Israel is pushing for the establishment of a negotiating team to hold talks on official relations with the Gulf state, adding that the US wants to achieve peace between Jerusalem and Riyadh as part of Trump’s vision for a “Golden age of peace in the Middle East.”
The move would expand on the Abraham Accords, through which Israel established relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco during Trump’s first term in office. Saudi Arabia did not join the 2020 accords and has never recognized Israel, as per Times of Israel.