Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump meet with Israeli prime minister in New York separately
Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on Sunday.
According to his campaign, Trump spent more than an hour meeting with Netanyahu at his residence in Trump Tower. In a readout from the meeting, Trump’s campaign described it as an “opportunity to discuss many topics important to both countries,” noting Trump’s long-standing acquaintance with the Israeli leader.
During the meeting, Trump’s campaign said he expressed support for moving the capital of Israel to Jerusalem, a position held by many pro-Israel, conservative Republicans.
Trump seemed to reject the idea of a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, which has long been the U.S. position when it comes to brokering peace in the region.
“Mr. Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism,” Trump’s campaign said in a statement. “He agreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli people want a just and lasting peace with their neighbors, but that peace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State.”
The pair reportedly also discussed issues such as the special U.S.-Israeli relationship, the nuclear deal with Iran and the fight against ISIS.
Clinton met Sunday evening with Netanyahu for less than an hour in Manhattan, according to Clinton campaign officials.
Reporters were barred from covering either meeting.
Clintons’ campaign said in a statement that the two had an “in-depth conversation.” She stressed that “a strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States” and “reaffirmed unwavering commitment” to the relationship.
According to her campaign, Clinton stressed her support for the 10-year, $38 billion military aid package signed between the two countries earlier the month and opposition to efforts to boycott Israel. They also discussed Iran, the conflict in Syria and other regional challenges, including her support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict negotiated by the two parties -- not an outside organization like the U.N. Security Council.