Trump, Netanyahu meet to discuss Gaza deal, Iran

Donald Trump renewed threats to strike Iran should it try reconstituting its nuclear program and warned Hamas that the group would be "wiped out" if it refused to abide by its commitments in the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

You can also read our full article about Trump's threat to Iran here. 

Boeing has been awarded an $8.6 billion (€7.3 billion) contract for the F-15 Israel Program, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The announcement came after US President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.

"This contract provides for the design, integration, instrumentation, test, ‌production, and delivery of 25 ‌new ⁠F-15IA aircraft for the Israeli Air Force with an option for an additional 25 F-15IA ‍aircraft," the Pentagon said.

The US has long been the largest arms supplier to Israel but anti-war and pro-Palestinian protesters have called for an end to Washington's support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump will receive Israel's highest civilian honor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday.

"President Trump has broken so many conventions to the surprise of people, and then they figure out, 'oh, well — maybe, you know, he was right after all,'" Netanyahu told reporters after his meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

"So we decided to break a convention too or create a new one, and that is to award the Israel Prize."

The Israel Prize is typically reserved for Israeli citizens, but it can also be awarded to individuals who have made a "special contribution to the Jewish people."

Just one other non-Israeli national has received the award in the past: Indian orchestra conductor Zubin Mehta.

Netanyahu said the choice of Trump "reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis across the spectrum."

Trump, for his part, called the news "really surprising and very much appreciated." He hinted that he could travel to Israel to accept the award.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters they had a productive discussion at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Trump was meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the next stage of the Gaza deal, a complicated stage that involves naming an international governing body and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.

Trump said he wants to get to the second phase of the Gaza deal "as quickly as we can" but said "there has to be a disarming of Hamas."

The truce's first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people.

All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released, alive or dead.

Trump also told reporters at the top of the meeting that he held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday morning, one day afterTrump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago. 

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and others. 

US President Donald Trump said Hamas would face consequences if it did not disarm under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

"If they don't disarm as they agreed to do, then there will be hell to pay for them," Trump said after his meeting with the Israeli prime minister.

"They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time."

Meanwhile, he said Israel was complying with the deal in Gaza.

"I'm not concerned about anything that Israel's doing," Trump said.

"I'm concerned about what other people are doing or maybe aren't doing. But I'm not concerned. They've lived up to the plan."

US President Donald Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not fully agree on the issue of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

At a press conference after the pair met at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was asked whether he was concerned whether Israeli settler violence in the West Bank could undermine peace.

"We have ‍had a discussion, big discussion for a long time on the ​West Bank," Trump said.

"And I wouldn't say we agree on the West ⁠Bank 100%, ​but we'll come to a conclusion on ‌the ‌West Bank."

The office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the president had not spoken with Donald Trump about pardoning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since a pardon request was submitted several weeks ago.

According to the office, Herzog then spoke with a Trump representative and explained that any decision would be made in accordance with established procedures.

Earlier, Trump claimed that he had spoken with Herzog, who told him that a pardon for Netanyahu was "on its way."

On November 30, Netanyahu submitted a pardon request, arguing that frequent court hearings impair his ability to govern and that clemency serves the national interest.

Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime. He denies the bribery, fraud, and breach of trust charges dating back to his 2019 indictment.

Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have begun their meeting at the Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida.

Before the meeting, Trump told journalists that the leaders had already resolved three difficult issues regarding Gaza within five minutes.

"We had about a five-minute meeting, and we've already settled about three of the difficulties," Trump said.

Earlier, Trump said Gaza was one of the five main topics he would discuss with Netanyahu.

Besides Iran, Gaza, and Venezuela, Trump also touched on the war in Ukraine.

Commenting on allegations by Moscow that Ukraine had attempted to hit Russain President Vladimir Putin's residence in the Novgorod region in a drone attack, Trump said he had spoken to the Russian leader on the matter over the phone.

"I ⁠learned about it from President Putin today. I was very angry about it," Trump said.

For more of Trump's comments on the incident and other news from Ukraine and Russia click here.

During the press conference, Donald Trump praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times.

"Israel with most other leaders would not exist today," Trump said, calling for the pardon of the Israeli prime minister, who is facing several corruption charges.

Trump also said ⁠he ‍had spoken to Israeli President Isaac ⁠Herzog, who told him ‌that a ‌pardon ⁠for Netanyahu was "on its ‍way."

"He's a wartime ​prime ​minister who's a hero. How do you not give a pardon?" Trump told reporters ‍standing aside Netanyahu. "I spoke to the president ... ⁠he tells ​me it's on its ‌way."

Netanyahu is accused of accepting luxury gifts in exchange for political favors, and seeking favorable media coverage in two other cases.

The Israeli prime minister has argued that the pardon would "promote reconiciliation," while critics say that it would undermine the rule of law.

US President Donald Trump threatened to support another strike against Iran if it attempts to rebuild its ballistic missile program.

"I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down," Trump said.

He encouraged Tehran to reach a deal with the US, saying it would be "smarter."

In June, the United States bombed Iran's nuclear sites during a brief war between Israel and Iran.

The US has long accused Iran of aiming to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran maintains its nuclear program is purely for civilian use.

In 2015, during Trump's first term in office, the US withdrew from an agreement with Tehran that limited Iran's nuclear program and that had been signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union.

During the press conference with Netanyahu, other topics unrelated to Israel or the Middle East were also raised.

For example, Donald Trump said that the United States had "hit" an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs.

This would mark the first time the United States has carried out operations on Venezuelan soil since the pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro's government began.

"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," Trump said, without providing further details.

Trump's administration has accused, without providing evidence, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of ties to drug trafficking.

The United States has carried out a monthslong campaign targeting Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean.

While speaking with reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, US President Donald Trump said he hopes to reach phase two of the Gaza plan "very quickly."

"Very quickly, as quickly as we can, but there has to be a disarmament, we have to disarm with Hamas," Trump said.

Hamas' disarmament has been one of the main points of contention in the peace plan.

US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group came into effect on October 10 after two years of fighting.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations of the truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the US for talks with Donald Trump as a stalling Gaza ceasefire and Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Syria challenge Trump's claim of being a Middle East peace broker.

The US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is expected to be one of the main topics discussed between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The second phase of the ceasefire, that has been in force since October, involves the Israeli army withdrawing its positions in the Gaza Strip, while Hamasis supposed to lay down its weapons, with the Islamist militant group seeing its disarmment as a major sticking point.

According to Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian, Netanyahu is to discuss the agreement in a view of making sure that "Hamas is disarmed" and "Gaza is demilitarized."

Both Israel and Hamas have alleged frequent ceasefire violations from the other side.