"He is a wartime prime minister, a hero. How can you not grant him a pardon?" Trump told reporters, standing alongside Netanyahu. He said the Israeli president told him that the pardon process was "on its way."
Herzog reported shortly afterwards that he had not held any talks with Trump since the pardon request for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was made several weeks ago.
Hamas must return all remains of bodies
The United States says it has brokered three ceasefires with its longtime ally Israel in recent months - between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, and also between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But Netanyahu has repeatedly expressed concern that Israel's enemies may use the ceasefires to rebuild their military capabilities after being severely weakened during the fighting.
Trump's plan for ending the Gaza war, according to the October agreement, would lead to a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory and Hamas giving up its weapons and ceasing to play a role in governing the Palestinian enclave.
The first phase of the ceasefire included a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, an increase in humanitarian aid and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
An Israeli official in Netanyahu's circle reported that the prime minister would insist that Hamas complete the first phase of the agreement before moving on to other phases, in particular the return of the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza. This is Ran Gvili, whose family is part of Netanyahu's delegation in Florida and is due to meet with Trump administration officials.
We will knock Iran back
At the same time, the US president spoke harshly about Iran and its nuclear program. Trump warned that the United States was ready to strike again if Tehran began resuming nuclear activities after the US strikes in June this year.
"I hear that Iran is trying to build up (a nuclear program) again. And if they're doing that, we have to knock them back," Trump declared. "We're going to knock them down hard," he added, adding that the United States would act decisively.
He also indicated that he was still open to negotiations with Iran. He described concluding a deal as a "much smarter" path than further escalation of the conflict. Trump has thus once again combined tough rhetoric with a declared willingness to negotiate, which is typical of his approach to foreign policy.
(reuters, mja)
