Trump warmly welcomes Netanyahu to his Florida residence

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at his residence in the state of Florida on Friday.

"Now I’m honored, greatest honor," Trump was heard saying as he warmly greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu in front of his Mar-a-Lago resort.

The meeting comes one day after the Israeli prime minister met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the US capital of Washington, where he delivered a controversial speech to the US Congress on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Trump said on Thursday that Israel should end the war in Gaza "quickly" as the country was "getting decimated with this publicity."

"You’ve got to get it done quickly because they are getting decimated with this publicity. And, you know, Israel is not very good at public relations, I’ll tell you that," Trump said during an interview with Fox News.

During his address a the Congress, Netanyahu falsely claimed that there have been no civilian fatalities in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, and called pro-Palestine protestors in the country "Iran's useful idiots".

On Thursday, Harris said that she expressed concern about the situation in the Gaza Strip to Netanyahu during their meeting at the White House, adding that it is time to "get this deal done."

On May 31, Biden said that Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza.