Prime Minister Netanyahu met today with President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, after arriving in Florida yesterday.
In statements made throughout the day, President Trump was unequivocal in his support for Israel, his explicit demand that Hamas must disarm, and his insistence that America will support military action to eliminate the threat of Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
"Israel has lived up to the [peace] plan, one hundred percent," President Trump said.
On Hamas: "If they don't disarm — as they agreed to do, they agreed to it — then there will be hell to pay for them, and we don't want that."
"Based on the fact that Hamas pledged, they swore that they were going to disarm. Now, if they're not going to disarm, those same countries [who supported the peace deal] will wipe out Hamas."
On Iran, when asked if he would support further Israeli strikes on the regime, President Trump said, "If [Iran] will continue with the missiles — yes. [And if they continue with] the [production of] nuclear [capabilities] — fast. One will be yes, absolutely. The other, we’ll do it immediately."
"Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them," the president added.
Before sitting down with the president, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that "Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States, and I’ll say leading the free world at this time. It’s not only Israel’s great fortune. It’s the world’s great fortune."
"We have a great relationship," President Trump added, saying, "it was a great honor to speak" at the Israeli Knesset in October. "The relationship has been extraordinary."
You can click below to watch a video of Trump and Netanyahu's joint press conference.
During their meeting, Netanyahu also announced that Trump will receive the Israel Prize "for his unique contribution to the Jewish People." This is the first time since Israel's establishment that the prize has been awarded to a non-Israeli.
This morning’s meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Secretary of State Rubio included discussions about "regional security, economic cooperation, and the fight against antisemitism" and "emphasized the importance of continued cooperation to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, in line with the vision of President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan," the State Department said.
Tomorrow, Netanyahu is set to meet with Jewish community leaders in Florida. On Wednesday, he'll meet with evangelical leaders and attend an event at a synagogue alongside members of Congress, before returning to Israel on Thursday.
Yesterday, the IDF took delivery of the Iron Beam laser defense system, formally dubbed "Or Eitan," and began integrating this groundbreaking new technology into the country's defense array.
The system was named Or Eitan after Eitan Oster, the son of one of the system's developers, who was killed in southern Lebanon in 2024 while serving in the IDF.
Iron Beam is the first operational system of its kind, and will allow Israel to destroy rockets, drones and missiles for pennies on the dollar. AIPAC has successfully lobbied Congress to approve more than $1.2 billion in support of the Iron Beam system.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
