Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu sat down with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday evening for their third meeting of the year.
Prior to the private discussion, both leaders took a few questions from the press. During the exchange, Netanyahu handed Trump a letter he had submitted to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in which he nominated the President for the prestigious award.
One of the topics addressed was Trump’s earlier proposal for Gaza, which encourages voluntary emigration for Gazans as the region undergoes rebuilding.
“I think President Trump has a great idea: free choice. If people want to stay, let them stay, and if they want to leave, let them leave. We are working with the United States to find countries that offer a better future for the Palestinians. We are getting closer and closer to finding such countries. The Palestinians should have the freedom to choose,” said Netanyahu.
He added a firm reminder of Israel’s security priorities. “The Palestinians should have the ability to lead themselves but not the ability to harm us. No one in Israel agrees to anything else – we want to live. The Palestinians had the Hamas state before October 7, and look what they did with it. They carried out a horrific massacre not seen since the Nazis.”
Addressing the matter of Iran and its nuclear ambitions, Trump noted recent developments: “We scheduled talks with Iran. They want to talk to us. They took a big drubbing when we hit the three sites.”
The President also touched on the situation with Hamas, indicating that he believed negotiations could be on the horizon: he said he “thinks Hamas wants a deal.” Adding to that optimism, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who was also present at the meeting, said, “We have an opportunity to finally get a peace deal…and I’m hopeful for it very quickly.”
Switching to the issue of Syria, Netanyahu pointed to shifting dynamics in the region: “I think that everyone understands that the situation has changed and that opportunity has been opened by the President and by the changed security situation after the collapse of the Assad regime.”
Trump, in turn, expressed admiration for Syria’s new leadership. He said he was “very impressed” by new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and explained that he had lifted sanctions on Syria to give the new administration a fair chance. He disclosed that multiple nations, including Israel, had approached him with requests to end those sanctions.
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{Matzav.com}