What did Trump, Netanyahu say at the White House?
We were told repeatedly it was going to be a private dinner with no media access, but inevitably, this changed, and the cameras were allowed in in time to get the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Nanyahu, presenting the US President a letter recommending that he be given the Nobel Peace Prize.
It was clear that discussions are going to centre on the situation in Gaza, in particular, getting a ceasefire in place and releasing those still being held captive.
But it would appear from the conversation that both leaders are thinking about the possible relocation of Palestinians to other countries as part of this process.
The US president also said he didn’t know whether there would ever be an independent Palestinian state, and the Israeli prime minister, commenting on the matter, said that whatever happened, Israel would always retain complete security over the area.
The issue of Iran was also brought up by the US president, and he said, “They want to meet and they want to work something out”. Later in the conversation, the issue of Syria came up, with the US president saying he decided to lift the sanctions against Syria to give that new country a chance.
This, he said, will also apply to the Iranian situation, saying that it would be possible to lift sanctions against Iran should some kind of negotiated deal be reached.
So, a wide-ranging conversation. The Israeli prime minister will be in Washington, DC, until Thursday, giving time for further discussions with members of the administration and, of course, meeting members of Congress.
Just wining and dining a wanted war criminal while casually discussing ethnic cleansing, nobody bats an eye anymore...
Netanyahu takes new tone on Palestinian state, touts Gaza displacement plann
Netanyahu said Israelis wouldn’t want a Palestinian state after what happened on October 7, which is a different tone from what the prime minister had previously said on this matter. He had said that he’s worked his entire political career trying to prevent a Palestinian state, and that he would continue to do so.
Netanyahu also said that both Israel and the US are actively working to find countries that would take Palestinians from Gaza.
This is something the Israelis have been saying for some time, calling it a “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from their homeland. But, of course, this has been condemned as ethnic cleansing.
The Israelis are also noting that there still is a negotiating team in the Qatari capital, Doha, and there is some movement towards getting to a ceasefire deal.
The US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said that now more than ever, there is momentum. He himself is heading to the Middle East in the coming days to work on that very deal.
But Netanyahu says that despite all of this, until Israel achieves all of its goals and objectives in Gaza, the war would continue.
