“There are differences, we are trying to overcome them.” Meeting between Trump and Netanyahu ends

At the beginning of the briefing, Trump noted that there are differences between Israel and the United States, but they are working to overcome them. According to him, it was possible to agree on most of the problems. The US President added: “Perhaps there will be surprises before the New Year.”

Trump confirmed that the meeting discussed the disarmament of Hamas. “Hamas will be given very little time to disarm. If this does not happen, they will pay dearly for it. But we would not want that. They should disarm in a fairly short time.”

Asked about Israeli actions in Judea and Samaria and whether settler violence was undermining the peace process, the US president said he and Netanyahu had differences over the West Bank. At the same time, he expressed confidence that it would be possible to reach agreement on controversial issues. “He will do the right thing,” Trump said, pointing to Netanyahu.

Asked about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling Netanyahu “Hitler,” Trump said: “I know Erdogan, he’s a good friend of mine. I trust him and respect him, Bibi respects him too, there won’t be any problems between them.” He also noted that Erdogan helped get rid of Assad in Syria, “and Bibi agrees with this.”

Trump also said he was weighing the possibility of selling F35 fighter jets to Ankara, then told Israeli reporters: “Don’t worry, they won’t use them against you.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, when asked about relations with Syria, replied: “It is in our interests that we have peace on the border with Syria. We want to make sure that the border is safe, without terrorists.”

When asked about Iran, Trump reiterated that if Iran continues to rebuild and expand its military capabilities, “there will be no other choice” but to destroy its missiles. He noted that he did not want to “waste a lot of fuel” by sending American bombers to Iran for a second attack.