PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump, who has for months insisted Israel needed to end the war in the Gaza Strip as quickly as possible, is meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump Eager to Demonstrate Ties to Israel

The meeting comes as Trump has been eager to demonstrate his ties to Israel, part of his effort to draw Jewish Americans away from their long-standing allegiance to Democrats. It also comes after months of him saying that Hamas’ deadly terrorist attacks on Israel in October and the ensuing war in Gaza would not have happened if he had won the 2020 election.

He and Netanyahu last met in 2020. Their meeting Friday in Florida, at Trump’s private club and residence, Mar-a-Lago, is happening a day after he said in a Fox News interview that Israel has to “end this fast.”

“It can’t continue to go on like this. It’s too long. It’s too much,” Trump said in the interview.

But Trump has not provided a clear plan for how he would help bring the conflict to a close — even as he has criticized the Biden administration for failing to do so. He has repeatedly suggested that he supported Israel using greater force in Gaza.

At the same time, Trump — who remains supportive of Israel and often calls himself the strongest ally of the country to serve in the White House — has been critical of Israel since it launched its military effort, taking issue with the fact that Israel has shared footage of the destruction in Gaza.

“Israel has to handle their public relations. Their public relations are not good,” he said Thursday. “And they’ve got to get this done fast because the world — the world is not taking lightly to it. It’s really incredible.”

Warnings of Possible Protests

The Palm Beach County sheriff’s office had warned of possible protests outside the Friday meeting, but there was little activity in the area, and security — which has been increased since the assassination attempt against Trump — was heavy.

A small group of protesters stood on the sidewalk of a bridge that leads to Mar-a-Lago, carrying Palestinian flags and calling for the end of the conflict. Most of the signs referenced the conflict in general terms, but one specifically remarked on Friday’s meeting, reading, “Convicted felon meets war criminal.”

Trump and Netanyahu had close ties during Trump’s presidency, but their relationship was strained after Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on winning the 2020 presidential election, which Trump continues to falsely insist he won.

Days after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel in October, Trump criticized Netanyahu and Israeli intelligence officials as being poorly prepared. Since then, he has retreated from those criticisms. And he thanked Netanyahu for mentioning him in his address to Congress on Wednesday.

Handful of Global Leaders Meet With Trump

Netanyahu joins a handful of global leaders who have met with Trump during his third presidential campaign. Trump has met twice with Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, a right-wing leader with whom he shares anti-immigration and populist views. While standing trial in Manhattan in April, Trump hosted the right-wing president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, at Trump Tower.

Trump posted this week on Truth Social a letter he received from Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, after the assassination attempt against him at a Pennsylvania rally this month.

Abbas, writing the day after the shooting, said that he had “grave concern” after seeing footage of the incident, adding that he believed “differences must be resolved through communication” rather than violence.

In his post sharing the letter, Trump wrote, “Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East!”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Michael Gold/Doug Mills
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