Ron Dermer, a close advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, met with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss Israel’s plans in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran over the next two months.
According to Axios, the meeting details were shared by two Israeli and two American officials familiar with the discussions. The Israeli source explained that the purpose of the meeting was to convey a message from Netanyahu to Trump and to inform the president-elect about Israel’s plans in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran in the two months before he officially takes office.
One of the topics Israel wanted to discuss with Trump was which issues he would like resolved by January 20, and which could wait for his involvement said an American official. U.S. officials also mentioned that Israel hoped Trump would stay involved in efforts toward a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, plans for Gaza after the conflict, and the normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations.
American sources reported that Netanyahu notified the current U.S. administration under President Joe Biden about Dermer’s meeting with Trump in advance.
Axios noted that Dermer, who is Netanyahu’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, previously worked closely with Trump during his first term, when Dermer served as Israel’s ambassador to Washington.
