For the second time in two weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday about Iran and other issues.
“The leaders discussed the threat from Iran, as well as other critical bilateral and regional issues,” said the White House in an email statement without elaborating further.
To date under the Trump administration, Washington’s relationship with Jerusalem has been strong, with moves upending decades of U.S. policy, such as recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, relocating the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, ending funding of the Palestinian Authority while it continues to pay terrorists and their families, approving the annexation of the Golan Heights, and most recently, easing the stance against settlements in the West Bank.
At the same time, its relationship with Tehran has deteriorated since the United States withdrew in May 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions lifted under it, along with enacting new financial penalties against the regime.
During a press conference on Sunday, Netanyahu said that the two discussed “the historic opportunity we have in the coming months, including recognizing the Jordan Valley as the eastern border of Israel,” reported the Israeli broadcaster Kan.
The two also talked about a security pact between the United States and Israel, reported The Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu said such developments “we could only dream about, but which now we have the opportunity to implement.”
In the previous call on Nov. 19, Netanyahu thanked Trump for the decision to no longer call Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal.
