U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the American leader’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, where the leaders discussed updates on the future of the Gaza Strip and continued security threats within the region around Israel.
Trump warned Iran not to resume pursuing a nuclear weapons program at the threat of subsequent strikes, said it would be “horrible” for Hamas if the terrorist organization doesn’t disarm, indicated that his first administration’s Abraham Accords peace agreement would be expanded, and offered some updates on relations with Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon.
At the start of the press conference, Netanyahu announced that for the first time since the founding of the nation of Israel, his country would award its Israel Prize to a non-Israeli: Trump.
Here are five takeaways from Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago.
1. Israel Prize Awarded to Trump
Netanyahu said that Israel decided to “break a convention or create a new one” in awarding the Israel Prize to Trump. This would be the first time since the nation was founded in 1948 that the prize is being awarded to a non-Israeli, the prime minister said.
Yoav Kisch, Israel’s Minister of Education, made the formal announcement over lunch on Monday, Netanyahu added, awarding it to Trump “for his tremendous contributions to Israel and the Jewish people.”
“I think it’s such a fitting thing, and it would honor us, obviously, Mr. President, if you could visit Israel on that occasion on her independence day,” Netanyahu said. “This reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis across the spectrum.
“They appreciate what you’ve done to help Israel and to help our common battle against the terrorists and those who destroy our civilization.”
Given to individuals who have contributed heavily to Israeli culture or have displayed excellence in their field, the Israel Prize is the nation’s most prestigious and important award, according to The Hebrew University.
2. US President Warns Iran
Just two days before Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Iranian regime is engaged in a full-scale war with the United States, Europe, and Israel, following Washington’s bombings of the nation’s nuclear facilities earlier this year.
On Monday, Trump said he hopes Iran is not trying to rebuild its nuclear weapons facilities.
“Because if they are, we’re gonna have no choice but very quickly, to eradicate that build up,” the U.S. president said.
“I hope Iran is not trying to build up as I’ve been reading that they’re building up weapons and other things, and if they are, they’re not using the sites that we obliterated, but they’re using possibly different sites.”
Trump said his administration knows “exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing” and suggested he prefers not to “waste the fuel” on another 37-hour trip sending U.S. B-2 Bombers to conduct another series of strikes on potential new Iranian nuclear facilities.
3. Hamas Must Disarm: Trump
Asked what the next steps would be for the United States if Hamas chooses not to disarm within the time it is given—a key part of the peace deal negotiated to end the war in Gaza—Trump said it would be “horrible for them.”
“I don’t want that to happen, but [Hamas] made an agreement that they were going to disarm,” Trump said.
Trump suggested other countries, beyond Israel, have told his administration they are willing to “wipe out” Hamas if the terrorist group doesn’t disarm willingly first.
“If they say they’re going to disarm, that’s fine. If they say they’re not going to disarm, those same countries will go and wipe them out,” he said.
“We have 59 countries … that are outside of the Middle East … they want to go in and wipe out Hamas. They don’t want Israel. They don’t need Israel.”
4. Expansion Coming to Abraham Accords
Brokered during the latter half of 2020 by Trump’s first administration, the Abraham Accords facilitated four Middle Eastern nations in joining the lead of Egypt and Jordan in initiating the diplomatic process of normalizing bilateral ties with Israel.
The four countries were the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
The U.S. president said at the time that he hoped to expand the Abraham Accords to additional countries, pointing towards Saudi Arabia and Syria as primary targets for opening diplomacy with Israel.
During his press conference with Netanyahu on Monday, Trump said multiple countries had expressed interest in joining the Abraham Accords and signalled Saudi Arabia might be next.
“Saudi Arabia has been very good, as far as I’m concerned. They’ve done everything that we can ask for, getting along great with Israel,” he said. “And at some point, they’ll sign the Abraham Accords.”
5. Updates on Turkey, Syria, Lebanon
Trump also offered several regional updates on Israel’s and the United States’ relations with Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon.
Going back as far as late 2023, after Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Southern Israel and the Israeli military response that followed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly compared Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, alleging that civilian deaths in Gaza are similar to the genocide committed by Germany in World War II.
When asked about these statements on Monday, Trump suggested that both Erdogan and Netanyahu share mutual respect, and that the former has “done a fantastic job” in Turkey.
“I’m with him all the way. I’m with Bibi all the way. Nothing’s going to happen,” Trump said.
With Syria, where militant groups overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime last year, Trump said the United States has an “understanding regarding Syria” and that he respects its new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda who was captured and imprisoned by American forces for several years before renouncing his ties with the terrorist group.
“He’s a very strong guy, and that’s what you need in Syria,” the U.S. president said.
Trump emphasized that the United States’ top interest is to maintain a peaceful border with Syria and to ensure nearby borders are also safe.
When asked if Israel should strike the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah after previous military strikes, Trump said: “We’ll see about it.”
“The Lebanese government is a little bit of a disadvantage, if you think of it, with Hezbollah,” Trump said. “But Hezbollah has been behaving badly, so we’ll see what happens.”
