President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu met today at the White House, marking Netanyahu's second meeting with the president in less than three months.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing efforts to free the 59 hostages still held captive in Gaza, Iran's nuclear program, the tariffs placed on Israel, the International Criminal Court's baseless arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, and Turkey's involvement in Syria.
"We've come up to pretty good solutions and conclusions," President Trump said following their meeting, adding, "We've been helping them [Israel], and likewise they've been helping us very much."
"We will eliminate the trade deficit with the United States," Netanyahu pledged. "We intend to do it very quickly. We think it's the right thing to do, and we're going to also eliminate trade barriers... I think Israel can serve as a model for many countries who ought to do the same."
Speaking of the situation in Gaza, Netanyahu said, "We're committed to getting all the hostages out, but also eliminating the evil tyranny of Hamas in Gaza, and enabling the people of Gaza to freely make a choice to go wherever they want."
President Trump also announced that the United States is engaging in direct negotiations with Iran over the regime's nuclear program, saying: "We're having direct talks with Iran. They've started, it'll go on Saturday, we have a very big meeting, we'll see what can happen, and I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious... it's getting to be very dangerous territory."
As U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said in an interview today: "[President Trump] has extended the hand of diplomacy, but I think he has made very clear that what we're not going to do is... do indirect talks that last for years and the Iranians just string us along. Not happening under this administration. If we're going to have talks, they need to be quick, they [Iran] need to be serious about dismantling their nuclear weapons program."
AIPAC supports time-bound talks to achieve the Trump administration’s stated goal of verifiably and permanently dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. To be effective, these talks must continue to be coupled with the implementation of maximum pressure and a credible threat of military force.
167 New Jersey rabbis: "In a critical first vote, Senator Kim failed our ally…and our community."
In a new op-ed, 167 rabbis from across New Jersey and across the ideological spectrum came together to condemn Senator Andy Kim's (D-NJ) votes last week in support of Bernie Sanders' resolutions to block vital arms sales to Israel, writing:
"In a critical first vote, Senator Kim failed our ally…and our community.
"New Jersey’s elected officials have always been proud to support and strengthen the U.S.-Israeli relationship. They understand the shared values and mutually beneficial relationship. Our Senators have always stood with our ally to ensure it has the resources it needs to defend itself—until today...
"Despite numerous pledges that he would stand by our ally and by his Jewish constituents, in his first vote on an issue critical to Israel’s security, Senator Andy Kim voted with the anti-Israel fringe, against our ally, and our community...
"Senator Kim: You are on the wrong side of this issue. Your constituents are outraged. Listen to them. Stop siding with anti-Israel extremists. Stand with Israel."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Israel's northern border yesterday, as Israel continues to act against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"We are continuing the campaign to strengthen the defenses, while showing initiative and offensive action," he said.
Also yesterday, the IDF eliminated two Hezbollah terrorists in an airstrike in a village 10 miles southeast of Tyre. The terrorists were using an engineering vehicle in an effort to reestablish Hezbollah's terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Today, the IDF confirmed that it eliminated Hezbollah terrorist Mohammad Adnan Mansour, an artillery commander responsible for orchestrating rocket attacks on Israeli communities.
IDF conducts operations in Syria to prevent terror threats
Israeli troops have carried out a series of operations in southern Syria to prevent terror threats to Israeli communities, the IDF said.
Troops have dismantled military hardware, including tanks, armored vehicles and artillery that belonged to the former Syrian regime. The IDF also seized dozens of rockets, mortars and other weapons.
Last week, IDF troops exchanged fire with armed terrorists in the southern Syrian town of Tasil, a day after Israel conducted airstrikes on military sites across Syria.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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