At the start of his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump outlined a broad agenda covering Gaza, Iran, Turkey, Syria and hostages, saying he hopes to move quickly to the next phase of the Gaza plan.
“We hope to get to phase two of the Gaza plan very quickly,” Trump said.
Netanyahu heads to Mar-a-Lago for Trump meeting
Trump said reconstruction in Gaza would begin soon and stressed efforts to recover the body of the last remaining Israeli hostage held in Gaza. “We’re doing everything we can to get the body of the last hostage,” he said.
Iran featured prominently in Trump’s remarks. “I hear Iran is trying to build up again. If they are, we have to knock them down,” he said, adding that Iran should pursue diplomacy. “Iran should make a deal, but sometimes that doesn’t happen.” Trump said he would support a rapid attack on Iran if it continues its nuclear buildup.
Trump also said Hamas must disarm. “There has to be a disarmament, you know, that we have to disarm with Hamas,” he said, standing alongside Netanyahu.
The president said Turkey would also be discussed during the meeting, adding that he hopes Netanyahu can improve relations with Syria. “We’ll be talking about Turkey,” Trump said, adding later, “I hope Netanyahu gets along with Syria.”
Asked about reports that Ukraine attempted to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence, Trump said, “I don’t know about Russia saying Ukraine tried to attack Putin’s residence.”
Trump said he and Netanyahu would discuss five major subjects during their talks.
Trump also addressed the possibility of a pardon for Netanyahu, saying President Isaac Herzog had told him one was forthcoming. “I think it’s a very hard thing to not pardon Netanyahu,” Trump said.
President Isaac Herzog responded to remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Herzog and that a pardon was “on the way.”
The President’s Residence said that “several weeks ago, a conversation took place with a representative on behalf of Trump, who inquired about a pardon request for Netanyahu. He was given an explanation regarding the stage the request is at and was told that any decision would be made according to established procedures, as was explained to Trump’s representative.”
The remarks came as Netanyahu arrived at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for his sixth meeting this year with Trump. Earlier Monday, Netanyahu departed his hotel in West Palm Beach en route to the nearby resort.
The meeting follows a series of high-level talks between Netanyahu and senior U.S. officials during his visit to Florida.
Earlier, Netanyahu met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by White House Middle East envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as senior White House adviser Josh Greenbaum, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. On the Israeli side, participants included Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, acting National Security Adviser Gil Reich and Netanyahu’s military secretary, Roman Gofman.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his meeting with Secretary of State Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
(Photo: GPO)
Netanyahu also held a separate meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine ahead of his talks with Trump.
In parallel, the family of Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli deceased hostage held in Gaza, met in Florida with Rubio, Kushner and Witkoff, according to a statement from the Tikva Forum, which represents families of hostages and former hostages.
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The family of Ran Gvili, the last remaining Israeli deceased hostage held in Gaza, met in Florida with Rubio, Kushner and Witkoff
Ran’s parents, Itzik and Talik, and his siblings Omri, Sharon and Shira took part in the meeting, which was held shortly before Netanyahu’s scheduled talks with Trump.
The family described the discussion as “very positive,” saying they were assured that Israel and the United States “will do everything to bring Rani home as soon as possible.” According to the statement, the officials stressed that returning Ran is of great importance to Trump and that significant efforts are underway to secure his return.