So What Happened in Those Meetings?

So, what exactly did President Donald Trump discuss during those meetings on Monday with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

According to the White House, which released readouts of those meetings Tuesday afternoon, there was a lot of issues discussed. And based on the tone of those readouts, it sounds like the meetings went extremely well for the president.

That’s probably good for both the U.S. and Israel.

The president first met with Rivlin at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem. Here’s what the White House said about that meeting:

President Donald J. Trump was warmly welcomed by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin yesterday at the presidential residence in Jerusalem. The two presidents spoke about the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel, and they committed to strengthening that bond. President Trump also reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. The two presidents discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the region, and President Trump shared conclusions from the extremely successful Arab Islamic American Summit held in Riyadh yesterday. At the conclusion of their meeting, President Rivlin took President Trump to view the tree that had been planted in the garden of the Presidential Residence in honor of President Trump’s historic visit.

The president then met with Netanyahu at the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem. These meetings were held before the joint press conference held on Monday night. Here’s what the White House said about that meeting:

Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on President Trump’s first official visit to Israel as president. The two leaders reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and Israel. President Trump and prime minister Netanyahu discussed their joint plan to further improve relations by focusing on increased cooperation across a range of issues, including regional and cyber security, trade, technology, innovation and research. President Trump underscored the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, including to the maintenance of Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge. The two leaders also agreed on the need to counter Iran and its proxies, including by building strong military capabilities to protect Israel and the region from Iranian aggression. The two leaders commended the Riyadh summit’s condemnation of terrorism and extremism and pledged to work together to defeat terrorist organizations. President Trump observed that common interests between Israel and Arab states have made new partnerships possible. Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed his desire for better relations with Arab states. The two leaders agreed on the need to end the violence in Syria and move toward a political solution that will allow the Syrian people to return to secure environments and rebuild their lives.

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed how to move forward with Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. President Trump reaffirmed his belief that peace is possible, not only between Israelis and Palestinians, but throughout large parts of the Middle East. President Trump welcomed the steps that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet have taken to improve the Palestinian economy, noting that greater economic opportunity for Palestinians would enhance the prospects for peace.

Next up, the president is meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican before meeting with our NATO allies and the G7 Summit in Sicily. {eoa}