Netanyahu vows ‘peace through strength’ as he departs to meet with Trump

Departing Israel for his first meeting with President Trump since inauguration day, Netanyahu hints that the two leaders will “redraw” the map of the Middle East.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed from Ben Gurion International Airport Sunday morning for Washington D.C. ahead of a planned meeting with President Donald Trump.

The two leaders are reportedly slated to meet in the White House on Tuesday, marking the first meeting between Netanyahu and Trump since the latter returned to office on January 20.

Moments before boarding his flight, Netanyahu spoke with reporters, noting that his meeting with the president this week will be Trump’s first with a foreign leader since inauguration day.

“I’m leaving for a very important meeting with President Trump in Washington,” Netanyahu said.

“The fact that this would be President Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration is telling.  I think it’s a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance. It’s also a testimony to the strength of our personal friendship.”

Netanyahu expressed optimism that the new administration will succeed in expanding the Abraham Accords and that by working together, the Israeli government and the Trump White House will manage to “redraw” the map of the Middle East.

“That friendship and that cooperation has already yielded important results for Israel and the Middle East, including the historic Abraham Accords that President Trump led and which brought four historic peace treaties between Israel and its Arab neighbors,” Netanyahu said.

“The decisions we made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East. Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better.”

Regarding the Iranian regime and its proxies, including Hamas, Netanyahu vowed a policy of “peace through strength” as ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza continue to hold.

“In this meeting we’ll deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region: Victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East, and the entire world.

“I believe that we can strengthen security, broaden the circle of peace and achieve a remarkable era of peace through strength,” he said.