Trump invites Bibi to US for in-person meeting at earliest opportunity

Published November 10th, 2016 - 12:00 GMT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, on November 6, 2016. (AFP/Abir Sultan)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, on November 6, 2016. (AFP/Abir Sultan)

President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally accept congratulations and invited Netanyahu to visit the United States for an in-person meeting.

Bloomberg and Haaretz reported the phone call was cordial between the two conservative leaders who have shared hawkish sentiments on a range of foreign policy issues in the Middle East, particularly in regards to Iran.

Netanyahu's office said Trump proposed a meeting at the "first opportunity."

In congratulating Trump publicly, Netanyahu called the Republican a "true friend of the state of Israel."

It was unclear whether the two men discussed any US-Israeli policies on the call, but both men have expressed deep skepticism about the Iran nuclear deal in a bid to close down the Islamic republic's nuclear weapons program.

By Eric DuVall

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