Netanyahu commends Trump for commitment to Israel in Russian talks

Netanyahu praised Trump for his efforts to ensure the security of Israel, one of the primary issues addressed at the US-Russia summit in Finland on Monday.

By: World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the “abiding commitment” of the US and President Donald Trump to the security of Israel, as expressed at a meeting on Monday between the American head-of-state and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The friendship between Israel and the US has never been stronger,” Netanyahu declared in a statement released by the prime minister’s office on Monday evening.

In addition to commending Trump, Netanyahu also expressed appreciation for the security coordination between Israel and Russia and President Putin’s clear position regarding Syria’s obligation to uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria.

Netanyahu’s comments followed a US-Russia summit in Helsinki, Finland on Monday, after which Putin commented at a joint press conference that Trump “paid particular attention” to Israel’s security.

Trump also stated that that the US and Russia collaborate on efforts to ensure the Jewish state does not experience fallout from the civil war in Syria through which rebel groups seek to overthrow brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad.

At the press conference, Trump also referred to Russian cooperation with Israel as a “great thing.”

Prior to the summit, Netanyahu discussed security and diplomatic issues by phone with Trump.

Specifically, Netanyahu commented at Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, “Yesterday I spoke with US President Donald Trump. We discussed security and diplomatic issues in light of developments in the region, with Syria and Iran first and foremost, of course.”

In Syria, Israel is primarilyy concerned with the open door Assad has given to the Iranian military, which uses Syrian bases and transfers weapons to the Hezbollah terror group via Syrian territory.

Israel has resorted both to diplomatic channels to address the Iranian threat in Syria, and has also launched airstrikes to beat back the Islamic Republic’s influence on its border.