Trump says he may go to Israel for embassy, Netanyahu calls out Iran
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he might travel to Israel for the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front against Iran in White House talks.
Trump’s decision for the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the embassy there from Tel Aviv reversed decades of US policy, aggravated Arab allies and has complicated his administration’s attempt to revive long-stalled Middle East peace talks.
Trump, with Netanyahu at his side in the Oval Office, said he was considering making what would be his second visit to Jerusalem as president. The opening of the US Embassy is planned for May.
“We’re looking at coming,” Trump said. “If I can, I will.”
Mired in corruption investigations threatening his political survival, Netanyahu – questioned at his home by police on Friday – stepped into a different spotlight during his five-day US visit.
Trump’s push to change or scrap Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and concerns over Tehran’s foothold in Syria topped the agenda of his talks with Netanyahu, US and Israeli officials said.
Both leaders have long railed against the deal, citing its limited duration and the fact it does not cover Iran’s ballistic missile program or its support for antiIsrael militants in the region.
“If I had to say what is our greatest challenge in the Middle East to both our countries, to our Arab neighbors, it’s encapsulated in one word: Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Iran must be stopped. That is our common challenge.”
Trump has threatened to pull out of the agreement unless European allies help “fix” it with a follow-up accord. The White House said in a statement that Trump “underscored his goal of countering Iran’s malign influence.”
Netanyahu told Israeli reporters that Iran had been a big focus of talks, which he said ran an hour longer than scheduled.
Israel has accused Tehran of seeking a permanent military presence in Syria, where Iranian-backed forces support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war.