Trump Seeks Mutual Defense Pact with Israel

US President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu about the possibility of strengthening military ties via a formal agreement. “I had a call… to discuss the possibility of moving forward with a Mutual Defense Treaty… that would further anchor the tremendous alliance between our two countries,” President Trump tweeted, adding that he hoped negotiations on the matter would pick up following Israel’s national election on Tuesday. “I look forward to continuing those discussions… when we meet at the United Nations later this month,” the US leader said, in a comment many Israelis interpreted as a tacit message of support for Netanyahu’s reelection bid. For his part, Netanyahu thanked his “dear friend” President Trump and said that he likewise was keen on forging “a historic defense treaty.”