- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back Sunday at ministers pressuring him to use his first meeting with US President Donald Trump to disavow his support for Palestinian statehood, telling the weekly cabinet meeting that only “responsible policy-making” would protect Israel’s interests.
“This is an extremely important meeting for the security of Israel, both for our increasingly strong international standing and for our wide international interests,” the prime minister said of his scheduled Wednesday’s sit-down with Trump at the White House.
Writing on Facebook Saturday night, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who chairs the Jewish Home party, said the meeting with Trump would be “the test of Netanyahu’s life” and would determine Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians for years to come.