Trump highlights US relationship with Israel in Independence Day letter
President Trump touted the close friendship that the United States has with Israel in a letter marking the country’s 72nd Independence Day. In addition to the long-standing historical relationship between the two countries, Trump pointed out that under his administration, there have been “significant actions” taken toward furthering bilateral relations. “It gives me tremendous pride that the United States was the first country to recognize the newly re-established Jewish State in 1948,” Trump wrote in the letter, which was sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday.
Trump also pointed out that while he was in office, the U.S. moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a historic move that was highly praised by Israeli officials and panned by Palestinians. “Exactly seven decades to the day after Prime Minister [David] Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence, Israel and the United States shared another historic moment when the United States opened its embassy in Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem,” Trump said. “This achievement has been one of many significant actions by my Administration to rebuild the US-Israel relationship,” he added.
Earlier this year, Trump released his so-called “deal of the century” peace plan for Israelis and Palestinians. The deal proposed a two-state solution where Israel would freeze settlement construction for four years and maintain sovereignty over much of the Jordan Valley. The deal was met positively by Israeli leaders but was strongly rejected by Palestinian leadership. Israel celebrated this year’s national holiday largely in isolation as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the globe. The country has had more than 15,800 cases of the virus and at least 815 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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