From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Netanyahu to US Jewish leaders: Trump and I are ‘reshaping the Middle East’
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
Speaking at the Conference of Presidents in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his meeting earlier this month in the White House with US President Donald Trump was “one of the most consequential meetings” between an Israeli prime minister and a US president.
“We are reshaping the Middle East,” he says.
The IDF has “decimated much of Hamas,” Netanyahu says. “We haven’t finished the job yet, but we will. Israel will destroy Hamas as a military force.”
Netanyahu endorses what he calls a “bold new vision” for Gaza’s future, suggesting that Gazans should have the option to leave if they so choose.
“Not forcible eviction, not ethnic cleansing,” he insists, “but a choice for those who want a different future.”
Trump has been publicly pushing for the permanent relocation of two million Gazans outside of the Strip, something that most observers see as impossible, and most Arab allies have refused to entertain.
Netanyahu reiterates his frequent vow to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, stating that this goal is shared by Trump and his administration.
“Iran’s GDP has hardly grown while its leaders spend tens of billions of dollars on Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. They do nothing for their people, yet they remain the world’s greatest sponsor of terror,” he says.
Netanyahu concludes his address by touting Israel’s strength after 16 months of fighting: “Today, everyone recognizes Israel’s strength. The US-Israel alliance is stronger than ever, and the Jewish people stand more resilient than ever.”
