Trump Tells Netanyahu He Might Visit For Jerusalem Embassy Opening

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By Reuters March 5, 2018

President Donald Trump said on Monday he might travel to Israel for the opening of the U.S. embassy there as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front against Iran in White House talks.

Trump’s decision for the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the embassy there from Tel Aviv reversed decades of U.S. policy, aggravated Arab allies and has complicated his administration’s attempt to revive long-stalled Middle East peace talks.

Trump, with Netanyahu at his side in the Oval Office, said he was considering making what would be his second visit to Jerusalem as president. The opening of the U.S. embassy is planned for May.

“We’re looking at coming,” Trump said. “If I can, I will.”

Mired in corruption investigations threatening his political survival, Netanyahu – questioned at his home by police on Friday – stepped into a different spotlight during his five-day U.S. visit.

Trump’s push to change or scrap Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and concerns over Tehran’s foothold in Syria topped the agenda of his talks with Netanyahu, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

Both leaders have long railed against the deal, citing its limited duration and the fact it does not cover Iran’s ballistic missile program or its support for anti-Israel militants in the region.

“If I had to say what is our greatest challenge in the Middle East to both our countries, to our Arab neighbors, it’s encapsulated in one word: Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Iran must be stopped. That is our common challenge.”

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