DONALD Trump warned a major war is on the horizon if he doesn’t win the presidential election in November at his first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in years.
Netanyahu visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, as the two sought to mend their relationship after years of division.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara arrived at the club on Friday afternoon as Trump met them at the door and told the two to “come on in,” video showed.
Republican presidential nominee Trump kicked off the meeting by telling reporters there might be a major war if he doesn’t win the election this fall.
“If we win, it’ll be very simple. It’s all going to work out and very quickly,” Trump said, according to The Hill.
“If we don’t, you’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East and maybe a third world war.
“You are closer to a third world war right now than at any time since the Second World War. You’ve never been so close, because we have incompetent people running our country.”
The meeting comes as Netanyahu is under immense pressure over his handling of the war between Hamas and Israel as Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported that over 39,000 civilians have been killed.
In Netanyahu’s speech at the Capitol on Wednesday, the leader declared that the nation would fight until Hamas is eradicated as Israel says about 115 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
At Friday’s meeting, the leaders posed together for a picture holding a framed photo of Ariel Bibas, who Netanyahu told Trump is one of the youngest hostages being held captive by Hamas, according to a video that the PM posted to X.
Netanyahu presented the image to Trump and told him that the child’s grandfather wanted him to give the picture to the former president.
“We’ll get that taken care of,” Trump replied before the two posed for the photo.
Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that Israel must end the war in Gaza “and get it done quickly.”
He also said that Israel is “getting decimated” by backlash over the war after Israel and Hamas have both been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court and denied it.
“Israel is not very good at public relations,” Trump said.
Netanyahu and Trump were last together in person in September 2020, at the White House signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords, where the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established normal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked former President Donald Trump for all he's done for Israel throughout the years in a speech at the Capitol on Wednesday.
During his presidency, Trump:
The pair’s relationship has been shaky since the Israeli prime minister was one of the first world leaders to congratulate President Joe Biden when he beat out Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
“The first person that congratulated [Biden] was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with,” Trump said in an interview at the time with Axios journalist Barak Ravid.
“Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake.”
Trump’s criticism of Netanyahu continued over the years on social media as he even said that the leader was “not prepared” for Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
However, the rift seems to be coming to an end as Netanyahu praised Trump in his speech to Congress, thanking him “for all the things he did for Israel.”
“I appreciated that,” Trump said about the praise to Fox on Thursday.
Friday’s meeting, which was met with protests from both sides in Palm Beach, is important for Trump as he aims to show himself as an ally to Israel.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump posted a letter of support from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that was sent after the assassination attempt on Trump.
“Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East!” Trump shared, along with the letter, on Truth Social.
Netanyahu hasn’t yet responded to calls for a cease-fire.
The death toll continues to rise in Gaza as Israel often blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing fighters of using innocent Palestinians as human shields.
Earlier this week, Netanyahu met with Biden to discuss a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Vice President and current Democratic nominee Kamala Harris spent 40 minutes with Netanyahu afterward in the White House as the pair spoke on the war in Gaza over the last several months.
Harris voiced “serious concerns” over the situation in the Middle East, which reportedly sparked fears in Israel that a hostage deal may again collapse.
After the meeting, Harris shared a statement saying that she pressed Netanyahu to consider a hostage and ceasefire deal.
Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the conflict between Israel and Gaza while speaking to reporters after her meeting with Netanyahu.
“I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there,” Harris said Thursday.
“Israel has a right to defend itself and how it does so matters.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating.
“The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” she continued.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies.
“We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.”
“It is time for this war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination,” Harris said.
“And as I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done. Let’s get the deal done.”
Israeli officials said Netanyahu was reportedly unhappy with Harris’ criticism of Israel in the statement, according to Axios.
Harris also notably skipped the Israeli leader’s speech to Congress and instead traveled to Texas for a campaign stop at a sorority.
She has been critical of both sides, releasing a message that condemned antisemitism yesterday due to anti-Israel protests that reportedly became hateful.
“Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric,” she shared in a statement.
“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews.
“Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.”
She went on to condemn the burning of the American flag before emphasizing that she supports peaceful protests.
Meanwhile, Trump said Wednesday that anyone who burns the flag should face jail time.
“You should get a one-year jail sentence if you do anything to desecrate the American flag,” Trump said on Fox when asked about the protests.
“Now, people will say, ‘Oh, it’s unconstitutional.’ Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that.
“We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence. When they’re allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire – when you’re allowed to do that, you get a one-year jail sentence, and you’ll never see it again.”
Trump is also scheduled to speak Friday night at the Believers’ Summit in Palm Beach County.
