‘It’s called free choice’: Donald Trump, Netanyahu talk Gaza’s future, two-state solution, Syria sanctions

Published 5 days ago• 3 minute read

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said during a White House dinner on Monday that he had nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, just over two weeks after the US struck three Iranian nuclear facilities with bunker buster bombs.

Both Trump and Netanyahu used the White House appearance as something of a victory lap – Trump again claimed the US had “obliterated” Iranian operations, and Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said their partnership had yielded “an incredible victory.”

On the war in Gaza, US President Donald Trump insisted that Hamas wanted a cease-fire with Israel, while Netanyahu praised Donald Trump’s proposal that Palestinians there could be relocated.

Donald Trump declined to directly answer a question about the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead deferring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I don’t know,” Trump said, passing the question to Netanyahu.

Responding, Netanyahu said, “We’re working with the United States on finding countries that will give Palestinians a better future.” He added, “I think Palestinians should have all of the power to govern themselves, but none of the power to threaten us.”

The Israeli PM emphasised that Israel is open to making peace with Palestinian neighbours “who don’t want to destroy it” but added, “The sovereign power of security always remains in our hands.”

On the matter of Palestinian relocation plans, Trump said his administration had received “great cooperation from countries neighbouring Israel.”

Netanyahu used the White House dinner to take a victory lap after the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities: “I think the partnership between Israel and the United States, the partnership between President Trump and me, produced a historic victory. It’s an incredible victory.”

Donald Trump says Iran has approached the White House for talks following the United State’s strike on the country’s nuclear facilities. He also compared the US’s strikes to the country’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II.

“I don’t want to say what it reminded me of, but if you go back a long time ago, it reminded people of a certain other event. And Harry Truman’s picture is now in the lobby, in a nice location, not in the lobby where it should have been, but that stopped a lot of fighting, and this stopped a lot of fighting,” he said.

“I hope we’re not going to have to” strike Iran again, he added.

Donald Trump said he lifted the United States' sanctions on Syria at the request of Middle Eastern leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister added that Syria’s new leadership gives Israel a chance at a new relationship with Syria.

Netanyahu said the fall of the Assad regime in Syria had opened up the possibility of a new relationship between Israel and Syria.

“I think that everyone understands that the situation has changed,” he said. “Before that, Iran was essentially running Syria, directly through Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been brought to its knees. Iran is out of the picture. So I think this presents opportunities for stability, for security, and eventually for peace.”

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