Hosting Netanyahu, Trump says 5-6 more countries ready to make peace with Israel
‘Frankly we could have had them here today,’ he says, shortly before Israel-UAE-Bahrain signing ceremony; Netanyahu: Israel enjoying ‘greatest diplomatic triumph of its history’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said five or six more countries are ready to make peace with Israel.
Hosting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, shortly before the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Trump said, “We’re very far down the road with about five additional countries… Frankly, I think we could have had them here today.”
“We’ll have at least five or six countries coming along very quickly… They want to see peace. They’ve been fighting for a long time…. They’re warring countries but they’re tired of fighting.. You’re going to see a lot of very great activity. It’s going to be peace in the Middle East.” He assessed that “most of the countries… in the Middle East want to sign this deal.”
Presenting Netanyahu with a White House key, “the key to our country and the key to our hearts,” Trump hailed “all the great things you’ve done for the Jewish state and for Israel.” Netanyahu said Trump has “the key to the hearts of the people of Israel.”
Answering questions about what Israel gets from the new deals, Trump said, “We’ll be signing up [other] nations… These are very strong agreements. This is serious peace… What Israel gets, the most important thing Israel gets, is peace.”
As for the UAE’s request to purchase F-35s, Trump said, “We’ll work that out. That’s going to be an easy thing.” He noted that the UAE had been “very loyal to us” and fought alongside the US in four wars.
Israel, said Trump, “is not isolated anymore.”
Trump also said, “I really believe Iran wants to make a deal.” He advised Tehran to wait until after the elections, however. If “sleepy Joe Biden” were to win the elections, he said Iran and especially China “would own the United States.”
He said he’d spoken with the king of Saudi Arabia, and “positive things will happen… This is peace in the Middle East without blood all over the sand.”
The Palestinians, he said, “will be a member at the right time… We are talking to the Palestinians. At the right time, they’ll be joining too.”
Asked about Netanyahu’s West Bank annexation plans, Trump said, “We don’t want to talk about that right now. That’s working out very fair — for the people who are coming in… and for Israel.”
Looking to Netanyahu, he said, smiling, “After all these years, even Bibi gets tired of war.” Israel, he said, is “a strong nation” whose people want “to get on with their lives. Israel wants peace.”
Far from feeling isolated, Netanyahu chipped in, “Israel doesn’t feel isolated at all. It’s enjoying the greatest diplomatic triumph of its history.” Those who are feeling isolated, says Netanyahu, “are the tyrants of Tehran.”
Agreed Trump, “There’s less isolation for Israel right now than there’s ever been.”
“We love Israel,” he concluded, “and I have great respect for the countries that have stepped up.”
