Trump’s close aides in Israel, meet Netanyahu & Oppn leader
Tel Aviv, May 21 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Three former US foreign policy officials in Donald Trump’s administration are in Israel and have met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader, Yair Lapid. The three aides are Robert O’Brien, who was Trump’s National Security Advisor (NSA), John Rakolta, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and Ed McMullen, former Ambassador to Switzerland. John Rakolta as the US Ambassador to the UAE was instrumental in normalizing the relationship of Israel with UAE and Bahrain and played a key role in signing the Abraham Accords. The three are considered to be the close policy advisors of Donald Trump. Sources in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the visit of the three high-ranking former US officials, who are Trump’s close aides. According to sources, the senior policy advisors have discussed with Netanyahu and Lapid the situation in Israel, the war with Hamas and the policy stand taken by the current US President Joe Biden. It was during the period of Donald Trump as the US President between 2017 and 2021 that the capital of Israel was shifted from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a long demand by the Israelis. With Donald Trump being the Republican candidate for the US presidential post, he is trying to pitch himself as a much more reliable ally to Israel than Biden. Sources in Israel’s Prime Minister’s office said that the three policy advisors of Trump have communicated to the Israeli leadership the wholehearted support of the Republican presidential candidate for the Israeli cause.
