Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, and apparently covered all the pressing concerns of the State of Israel pertinent to its security in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
As Axios reported, Dermer, a close advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was intent on sharing the strategic plans Israel would have in the coming months and garnering feedback from Trump about particular steps he favored Israel take, or wait to take until after his scheduled January 20 inauguration. This conversation speaks volumes about the coordination, at that level, between this incoming administration and Israel on regional security.
Dermer reportedly pushed Trump during the Mar-a-Lago meeting for an answer on burning regional security issues Israel hopes to settle. A US official told Axios that the effort was to “sort out” Trump’s wishes on which items to settle before his swearing-in, with operations potentially held back until after Jan 20. Netanyahu has also pre-coordinated the senior-level meeting with the Biden administration to exercise transparency in diplomacy.
In addition, Dermer is said to have met Trump, including his son-in-law and former advisor Jared Kushner, though Kushner will not be featured in the incoming administration.
After the meeting with Trump, Dermer flew to Washington, where he made extensive talks with the top officials of the United States: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House Middle East Coordinator Brett McGurk, and U.S. Special Envoy for Lebanon Amos Hochstein. The U.S. and Israeli officials discussed over the deadline which the Biden administration threatened to give Israel if it did not create a far better humanitarian situation in Gaza, one possible measure being imposition of arms embargo restrictions.
Talks between the U.S. and Israelis also included measures to achieve ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. Axios reports this includes securing a commitment from the U.S. to let Israel take military action in Lebanon if Hezbollah rebuilds its presence along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Even though the two sides are said to be working well on drafting this agreement, opposition from Hezbollah can undermine the implementation of the deal because the group expressed publicly that they will not accept a deal that will give Israel the ability to resume military actions in Lebanon.
This is the third call between Netanyahu and Trump following the latter’s presidential election victory. The Israeli Prime Minister recently, Netanyahu, recognized the strategic alliance with Trump that can be formed on both shared concerns with regard to the Iranian threat.
On Monday, Netanyahu addressed the people in a video statement in which he underlined the importance of his recent talks with Trump, saying that “we see eye-to-eye on the Iranian threat in all its components and the danger posed by it.” He further explained that the discussions would strengthen the strong alliance between Israel and the United States concerning the growing influence of Iran in the region.
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