Netanyahu congratulates Trump on ‘historic’ North Korea summit

The Israeli premiere praised his American counterpart on Tuesday for addressing head-on the nuclear threat posed by Pyongyang.

By: World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday released a statement praising US President Donald Trump for his meeting in Singapore with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“I commend US President Donald Trump on the historic summit in Singapore. This is an important step in the effort to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons,” declared Netanyahu.

What emerged from Trump’s meeting amounted to an agreement to continue negotiating the denuclearization of Korean peninsula and a promise that the US would halt exercises there in conjunction with the South Korean military, in addition to the potential withdrawal of US troops from South Korea in the future.

In his comments on Tuesday, Netanyahu linked Trump’s position on Iran to his stance on North Korea.

“President Trump has also taken a strong stand against Iran’s efforts to arm itself with nuclear weapons and against its aggression in the Middle East,” Netanyahu explained. “This is already affecting the Iranian economy. President Trump’s policy is an important development for Israel, the region and the entire world.”

The response from the Islamic Republic of Iran was far less positive, with government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht stating, “I do not know with whom the North Korean leader is negotiating. This person is not a wise representative for the US.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi was equally dour, announcing, “For the time being, we cannot be optimistic about the United States’ behavior, and the government of North Korea must approach this issue with absolute vigilance.”