The fall of a Palestinian rocket in Tel-Aviv jeopardizes the departure of Netanyahu in Washington – 25/03/2019

The attack with a rocket coming from Gaza towards the center of Israel Monday morning, he left a house destroyed, the remaining seven wounded and prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the decision to reduce it to a few hours your visit to Washington. He announced his return to Israel after meeting Donald Trump.

The president of the United States, reinforced by the results of the investigation of Robert Mueller, had organized a large meeting on Monday with his Israeli "friend" at the White House at 15 days of parliamentary elections in Israel.

But the Gaza attack changed the scenario. Netanyahu announced that he would shorten his visit, originally scheduled for two days.

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The Israeli Prime Minister said that he would return to his country just after the meeting with Trump, promising respond "strongly" to this "criminal attack".

"I decided, given the security events, to shorten my visit to the US In a few hours, I will meet with President Trump and immediately after, I will return to Israel to direct our operations closely", said Netanyahu in a video broadcast by your services

"A criminal attack has been committed against the State of Israel and we will react with force"

Bejamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister

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The two leaders will meet at the Oval Office during the day. The President of the United States of course hopes to give a boost to the Israeli Prime Minister, a man who believes "Hard, smart and strong"

For his third meeting at Netanyahu in Washington, Trump will propose to his partner the formalization of the recognition of Israeli sovereignty on the occupied territory of the Syrian Golan Heights.

Israel conquered much of the Syrian Golan (1,200 km2) during the Six Day War in 1967, before its annexation in 1981, a decision the international community has consistently rejected.

Although the Republican billionaire has badured that this initiative had nothing to do with elections to renew the Knesset, It's hard not to see a relationship between the two.

For Netanyahu, touted as the best leader to handle relations with the United States and his impetuous president, whom he calls "friend", this gesture proves it again.

"Can Netanyahu's meeting with Trump help her get re-elected?" As my grandmother used to say about her chicken soup, it does not hurt, "said Aaron David Miller, a former diplomat. American and negotiator in several Democratic and Republican administrations, on Twitter.

Netanyahu is under threat of being accused of bribery during his ten years in office. And the former chief of staff Benny Gantz He is presented as a serious opponent for the April 9 elections.

The face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office takes place on the same day as Gantz attends a conference of AIPAC, the leading pro-Israel lobby in Washington.

For Mr Trump, the meeting is taking place in a respite on the national political front, after Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation pointed to the lack of evidence of collusion between his team. campaign and Moscow in the 2016 elections.

While other US presidents have maintained close relations with Israeli leaders in recent decades, those of Trump and Netanyahu are, in many ways, unprecedented.

Since being sworn in January 2017, the former New York businessman made many decisions in favor of the Jewish state, especially with the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December of the same year and the transfer of the United States Embbady from Tel Aviv to the Holy City in May.

And even from Washington, the White House tenant has been at the heart of the Israeli campaign for weeks: Netanyahu's supporters spread huge posters showing the two leaders shaking hands at the entrances to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Source: AFP

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