5 oct 2016
In an unusually strong statement, the State Department called plans to construct a 'significant' new settlement of up to 300 housing units and establish an industrial zone in the West Bank 'deeply troubling' and at odds with stated Israeli commitments.
The Obama administration is once again condemning Israel for plans to construct housing on land claimed by the Palestinians, saying that a new project announced last week profoundly hurts efforts to forge a two-state solution to the long-running conflict.
In unusually strong statements, the White House and State Department lashed out at a proposal announced last week to construct a significant new settlement of up to 300 housing units and establish an industrial zone in the West Bank.
"Proceeding with this new settlement is another step towards cementing a one-state reality of perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state," spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "Such moves will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from many of its partners, and further call into question Israel's commitment to achieving a negotiated peace."
Toner said the proposal was "deeply troubling" because Israel announced the proposal so soon after the US agreed last month to a new 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. He also said it was "disheartening" as the announcement came the world was mourning the death of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres. US officials said the administration was particularly disturbed because the announcement came as President Barack Obama was visiting Jerusalem last week for the Peres' state funeral.
"It is deeply troubling, in the wake of Israel and the US concluding an unprecedented agreement on military assistance designed to further strengthen Israel's security, that Israel would take a decision so contrary to its long term security interest in a peaceful resolution of its conflict with the Palestinians," he said. "Furthermore, it is disheartening that while Israel and the world mourned the passing of President Shimon Peres, and leaders from the US and other nations prepared to honor one of the great champions of peace, plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two-state solution that he so passionately supported."
Later in the day, the White House sharply criticized Israel on Wednesday over its plan for a new settlement building in the West Bank that the White House says undermines the peace process and contradicts assurances from Jerusalem.
"We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this announcement," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "I guess when we're talking about how good friends treat one another, that's a source of serious concern as well."
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented in reply, "The 98 housing units approved in Shilo do not constitute a 'new settlement.' This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shilo and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint. The units are intended to provide a housing solution for the residents of Amona who must leave their homes in accordance with the demolition order issued by Israel's High Court of Justice.
"Israel remains committed to a solution of two states for two peoples, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of Israel. The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements—a final status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties—but the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries."
The US, which has repeatedly criticized Israel for such projects, has refrained from imposing consequences for the actions.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plans for the construction near Shiloh, west of Ramallah.
The Obama administration is once again condemning Israel for plans to construct housing on land claimed by the Palestinians, saying that a new project announced last week profoundly hurts efforts to forge a two-state solution to the long-running conflict.
In unusually strong statements, the White House and State Department lashed out at a proposal announced last week to construct a significant new settlement of up to 300 housing units and establish an industrial zone in the West Bank.
"Proceeding with this new settlement is another step towards cementing a one-state reality of perpetual occupation that is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state," spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. "Such moves will only draw condemnation from the international community, distance Israel from many of its partners, and further call into question Israel's commitment to achieving a negotiated peace."
Toner said the proposal was "deeply troubling" because Israel announced the proposal so soon after the US agreed last month to a new 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. He also said it was "disheartening" as the announcement came the world was mourning the death of former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres. US officials said the administration was particularly disturbed because the announcement came as President Barack Obama was visiting Jerusalem last week for the Peres' state funeral.
"It is deeply troubling, in the wake of Israel and the US concluding an unprecedented agreement on military assistance designed to further strengthen Israel's security, that Israel would take a decision so contrary to its long term security interest in a peaceful resolution of its conflict with the Palestinians," he said. "Furthermore, it is disheartening that while Israel and the world mourned the passing of President Shimon Peres, and leaders from the US and other nations prepared to honor one of the great champions of peace, plans were advanced that would seriously undermine the prospects for the two-state solution that he so passionately supported."
Later in the day, the White House sharply criticized Israel on Wednesday over its plan for a new settlement building in the West Bank that the White House says undermines the peace process and contradicts assurances from Jerusalem.
"We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this announcement," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "I guess when we're talking about how good friends treat one another, that's a source of serious concern as well."
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented in reply, "The 98 housing units approved in Shilo do not constitute a 'new settlement.' This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shilo and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint. The units are intended to provide a housing solution for the residents of Amona who must leave their homes in accordance with the demolition order issued by Israel's High Court of Justice.
"Israel remains committed to a solution of two states for two peoples, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of Israel. The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements—a final status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties—but the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries."
The US, which has repeatedly criticized Israel for such projects, has refrained from imposing consequences for the actions.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plans for the construction near Shiloh, west of Ramallah.
2 oct 2016
US soldiers [file photo]
The Pentagon paid a UK PR firm half a billion dollars to create fake terrorist videos in Iraq in a secret propaganda campaign exposed by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
PR firm Bell Pottinger, known for its array of controversial clients including the Saudi government and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s foundation, worked with the US military to create the propaganda in a secretive operation.
The firm reported to the CIA, the National Security Council and the Pentagon on the project with a mandate to portray Al-Qaeda in a negative light and track suspected sympathisers.
Both the White House and General David Petraeus, the former general who shared classified information with his mistress, signed off on the content produced by the agency. tweet
The Bell Pottinger operation started soon after the US invasion of Iraq and was tasked with promoting the “democratic elections” for the administration before moving on to more lucrative psychological and information operations.
Former employee Martin Wells told the Bureau how he found himself working in Iraq after being hired as a video editor by Bell Pottinger. Within 48 hours, he was landing in Baghdad to edit content for secret “psychological operations” at Camp Victory.
The firm created television ads showing Al-Qaeda in a negative light as well as creating content to look as though it had come from “Arabic TV”. Crews were sent out to film bombings with low quality video. The firm would then edit it to make it look like news footage.
They would craft scripts for Arabic soap operas where characters would reject terrorism with happy consequences. The firm also created fake Al-Qaeda propaganda videos, which were then planted by the military in homes they raided.Employees were given specific instructions to create the videos. “We need to make this style of video and we’ve got to use Al-Qaeda’s footage,” Wells was told. “We need it to be 10 minutes long, and it needs to be in this file format, and we need to encode it in this manner.”
The videos were created to play on Real Player which needs an internet connection to run. The CDs were embedded with a code linking to Google Analytics which allowed the military to track IP addresses that the videos were played on.
According to Wells, the videos were picked up in Iran, Syria and the US.“If one, 48 hours or a week later shows up in another part of the world, then that’s the more interesting one,” Wells explained. “And that’s what they’re looking for more, because that gives you a trail.”
The Pentagon confirmed the PR firm did work for them under the Information Operations Task Force (IOTF) creating content they say was “truthful”. The firm also worked under the Joint Psychological Operations Task Force (JPOTF). The Pentagon said it could not comment on JPOTF operations.
US law prohibits the government from using propaganda on its population, hence the use of an outside firm to create the content.
Documents show the Pentagon paid $540 million to Bell Pottinger in contracts between 2007 and 2011, with another contract for $120 million in 2006. The firm ended its work with the Pentagon in 2011.
In 2009, it was reported that the Pentagon had hired controversial PR firm, The Rendon Group, to monitor the reporting of journalists embedded with the US military, to assess whether they were giving “positive” coverage to its missions.
It was also revealed in 2005 that Washington based PR company the Lincoln Group had been placing articles in newspapers in Iraq which were secretly written by the US military. A Pentagon investigation cleared the group of any wrongdoing. tweet
The Pentagon paid a UK PR firm half a billion dollars to create fake terrorist videos in Iraq in a secret propaganda campaign exposed by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
PR firm Bell Pottinger, known for its array of controversial clients including the Saudi government and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s foundation, worked with the US military to create the propaganda in a secretive operation.
The firm reported to the CIA, the National Security Council and the Pentagon on the project with a mandate to portray Al-Qaeda in a negative light and track suspected sympathisers.
Both the White House and General David Petraeus, the former general who shared classified information with his mistress, signed off on the content produced by the agency. tweet
The Bell Pottinger operation started soon after the US invasion of Iraq and was tasked with promoting the “democratic elections” for the administration before moving on to more lucrative psychological and information operations.
Former employee Martin Wells told the Bureau how he found himself working in Iraq after being hired as a video editor by Bell Pottinger. Within 48 hours, he was landing in Baghdad to edit content for secret “psychological operations” at Camp Victory.
The firm created television ads showing Al-Qaeda in a negative light as well as creating content to look as though it had come from “Arabic TV”. Crews were sent out to film bombings with low quality video. The firm would then edit it to make it look like news footage.
They would craft scripts for Arabic soap operas where characters would reject terrorism with happy consequences. The firm also created fake Al-Qaeda propaganda videos, which were then planted by the military in homes they raided.Employees were given specific instructions to create the videos. “We need to make this style of video and we’ve got to use Al-Qaeda’s footage,” Wells was told. “We need it to be 10 minutes long, and it needs to be in this file format, and we need to encode it in this manner.”
The videos were created to play on Real Player which needs an internet connection to run. The CDs were embedded with a code linking to Google Analytics which allowed the military to track IP addresses that the videos were played on.
According to Wells, the videos were picked up in Iran, Syria and the US.“If one, 48 hours or a week later shows up in another part of the world, then that’s the more interesting one,” Wells explained. “And that’s what they’re looking for more, because that gives you a trail.”
The Pentagon confirmed the PR firm did work for them under the Information Operations Task Force (IOTF) creating content they say was “truthful”. The firm also worked under the Joint Psychological Operations Task Force (JPOTF). The Pentagon said it could not comment on JPOTF operations.
US law prohibits the government from using propaganda on its population, hence the use of an outside firm to create the content.
Documents show the Pentagon paid $540 million to Bell Pottinger in contracts between 2007 and 2011, with another contract for $120 million in 2006. The firm ended its work with the Pentagon in 2011.
In 2009, it was reported that the Pentagon had hired controversial PR firm, The Rendon Group, to monitor the reporting of journalists embedded with the US military, to assess whether they were giving “positive” coverage to its missions.
It was also revealed in 2005 that Washington based PR company the Lincoln Group had been placing articles in newspapers in Iraq which were secretly written by the US military. A Pentagon investigation cleared the group of any wrongdoing. tweet
29 sept 2016
US rights and faith organizations, Wednesday, called on US President Barack Obama to investigate Israeli army killing of a US citizen of Palestinian origins, according to a press release.
Fifteen organizations sent a letter to Obama calling on him to demand that Israel publicly release all evidence related to the recent investigation into the fatal shooting of Mahmoud Shaalan, by Israeli soldiers.
On February 26, Shaalan, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American born and raised in Florida, was shot by Israeli soldiers multiple times at a checkpoint near the Beit El settlement, just north of Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian territory. After Shaalan was shot, soldiers reportedly stripped his body, left him bleeding on the road for more than two hours, and prevented a Palestinian ambulance from approaching.
Israeli authorities have, according to WAFA, informed U.S. officials that they found no criminal wrongdoing and that Israel will no further pursue the case. Israel has not released any details or evidence collected from the investigation.
“We are also calling on the administration to conduct an independent investigation into the killing of Mahmoud Shaalan,” said Raed Jarrar, government relations manager at American Friends Service Committee. “As the largest supplier of military aid to Israel, the U.S. has a responsibility to make sure weapons we supplied were not used in this unlawful killing.”
“At a time when cameras have documented officer-involved shootings of civilians in the US, it is shocking that the White House has yet to publicly demand that Israel release the video footage from its own fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Mahmoud Shaalan,” said Sunjeev Bery, Middle East North Africa Advocacy Director for Amnesty International USA. “It is time for the Obama Administration to publicly demand that Israel release all video footage from the military checkpoint where Israeli soldiers fatally shot a U.S. citizen.”
“Israel has enjoyed utter impunity for killing United States citizens Rachel Corrie, Furkan Do?an, and now Mahmoud Shaalan, as well as gravely injuring many more,” said Maria LaHood, Deputy Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights. “It is long past time for the United States government to stand up to Israel and demand transparency and accountability for killing our citizens, and to conduct its own thorough investigation.”
“The Jewish tradition teaches, that ‘whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he has destroyed an entire world,’” said Rabbi Joseph Berman, Manager of Government Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy Jewish Voice for Peace. “When the state has taken a life, they have destroyed an entire world and they are obligated to investigate and take responsibility for their actions.”
Signatories of the letter include the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Presbyterian Church (USA), Amnesty International USA, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Defense for Children International – Palestine, and the National Lawyers Guild.
Fifteen organizations sent a letter to Obama calling on him to demand that Israel publicly release all evidence related to the recent investigation into the fatal shooting of Mahmoud Shaalan, by Israeli soldiers.
On February 26, Shaalan, a 16-year-old Palestinian-American born and raised in Florida, was shot by Israeli soldiers multiple times at a checkpoint near the Beit El settlement, just north of Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian territory. After Shaalan was shot, soldiers reportedly stripped his body, left him bleeding on the road for more than two hours, and prevented a Palestinian ambulance from approaching.
Israeli authorities have, according to WAFA, informed U.S. officials that they found no criminal wrongdoing and that Israel will no further pursue the case. Israel has not released any details or evidence collected from the investigation.
“We are also calling on the administration to conduct an independent investigation into the killing of Mahmoud Shaalan,” said Raed Jarrar, government relations manager at American Friends Service Committee. “As the largest supplier of military aid to Israel, the U.S. has a responsibility to make sure weapons we supplied were not used in this unlawful killing.”
“At a time when cameras have documented officer-involved shootings of civilians in the US, it is shocking that the White House has yet to publicly demand that Israel release the video footage from its own fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Mahmoud Shaalan,” said Sunjeev Bery, Middle East North Africa Advocacy Director for Amnesty International USA. “It is time for the Obama Administration to publicly demand that Israel release all video footage from the military checkpoint where Israeli soldiers fatally shot a U.S. citizen.”
“Israel has enjoyed utter impunity for killing United States citizens Rachel Corrie, Furkan Do?an, and now Mahmoud Shaalan, as well as gravely injuring many more,” said Maria LaHood, Deputy Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights. “It is long past time for the United States government to stand up to Israel and demand transparency and accountability for killing our citizens, and to conduct its own thorough investigation.”
“The Jewish tradition teaches, that ‘whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he has destroyed an entire world,’” said Rabbi Joseph Berman, Manager of Government Affairs and Grassroots Advocacy Jewish Voice for Peace. “When the state has taken a life, they have destroyed an entire world and they are obligated to investigate and take responsibility for their actions.”
Signatories of the letter include the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Presbyterian Church (USA), Amnesty International USA, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Defense for Children International – Palestine, and the National Lawyers Guild.
26 sept 2016
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has separately met with the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, as well as the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in New York.
During the visit, Trump reportedly pledged to recognize Jerusalem as the “undivided capital” of Israel if elected president.In an official statement, the Trump administration said, according to the PNN:
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3,000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.”
Apart from the Israeli-Palestinian issue, RT reported that Trump and Netanyahu also discussed “at length” Israel’s “successful”experience in building a border fence, a 708-kilometer long security barrier in the West Bank along the Green Line, which Palestine criticized as an “apartheid wall.” The Republic nominee is eying to build a similar kind of wall, at the border with Mexico, the construction of which he says would be financed by Mexico.
Following that, Netanyahu paid a visit to Hillary Clinton, who to her part said she would oppose BDS and UN meddling.
The Israeli PM’s meeting with Clinton, who was also attended by her advisor Jake Sullivan and Israel’s Dermer, lasted about 50 minutes.“Secretary Clinton stressed that a strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism,” says a campaign statement, released after the meeting by her campaign.
During the visit, Trump reportedly pledged to recognize Jerusalem as the “undivided capital” of Israel if elected president.In an official statement, the Trump administration said, according to the PNN:
“Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3,000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.”
Apart from the Israeli-Palestinian issue, RT reported that Trump and Netanyahu also discussed “at length” Israel’s “successful”experience in building a border fence, a 708-kilometer long security barrier in the West Bank along the Green Line, which Palestine criticized as an “apartheid wall.” The Republic nominee is eying to build a similar kind of wall, at the border with Mexico, the construction of which he says would be financed by Mexico.
Following that, Netanyahu paid a visit to Hillary Clinton, who to her part said she would oppose BDS and UN meddling.
The Israeli PM’s meeting with Clinton, who was also attended by her advisor Jake Sullivan and Israel’s Dermer, lasted about 50 minutes.“Secretary Clinton stressed that a strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism,” says a campaign statement, released after the meeting by her campaign.
25 sept 2016
After endorsing then-presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making an effort to appear unbiased in the current US presidential elections; to that end, he has spoken to Donald Trump and is due to sit down with Hillary Clinton prior to the two candidates’ first debate Monday; hinting at a possible move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, Trump’s campaign stated that Trump sees ‘Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.’
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be meeting separately with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in sessions that could set the tone for relations between the allied countries during the next presidential administration.
Trump met Sunday with Netanyahu for over an hour at his residence in Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to Israeli and campaign officials. Clinton also was expected to meet with the prime minister in New York on the eve of the first debate between the candidates. The Israeli leader has sought to project neutrality this time after perceptions arose that he favored Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama in 2012.
The press was barred from covering the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, but Trump's campaign said in a statement that the men, who have known each other for years, discussed "many topics important to both countries," including "the special relationship between America and Israel and the unbreakable bond between the two countries."
Among those topics: the nuclear deal with Iran, the battle against ISIS militants, military assistance provided by the US to Israel and other security issues.
"Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism," the campaign said in a statement. "He agreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli people want a just and lasting peace with their neighbors, but that peace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State."
Trump also repeated his pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv if he's elected to the White House.
"Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel," the campaign said.
That promise has been made in various forms since at least 1992. Congress three years later passed a law calling for the US embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999, but presidents of both parties always have waived the requirement. George W. Bush promised in 2000 to start the move "as soon as I take office," then didn't.
The pair also discussed "at length" Israel's use of a security fence to help secure its borders. Trump has proposed building a wall along the length of the southern border to keep out people and illegal drugs and often points to Israel as an example of how such barricades can be successful.
Trump also vowed "extraordinary strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries" if he's elected.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that Israel's Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also participated in the meeting.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu presented to Mr. Trump Israel's positions on regional affairs related to Israel's security and efforts to reach peace and stability in our region," said the statement. "Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Mr. Trump for his friendship and support of Israel.
The one-on-one discussions follow what was likely Netanyahu's final meeting with Obama last week, capping what has been a sometimes rocky relationship between the leaders of the two ally countries.
The Obama administration has opposed Israel's push to expand settlements in the West Bank while Netanyahu has been a leading critic of the US nuclear agreement with Iran. More recently, Netanyahu has urged Obama to avoid pushing for a Palestinian state in his final months in office.
Clinton has supported a negotiated two-state solution in the region, vowed to enforce the Iran nuclear agreement and help defend Israel's security. The former secretary of state suggested in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 earlier this month that the ISIS was "rooting for Donald Trump's victory" and he had helped strengthen the hands of extremists by his provocative statements about Muslims.
Trump has been a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear agreement and promised during a speech to AIPAC earlier this year that he would deepen ties between the two countries if he was elected president, adding the days of "treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on day one." But he also raised eyebrows when he questioned Israel's commitment to a peace deal last year and said he didn't want to show any bias in favor of one side or the other.
The meetings will also come after the US recently completed a 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. Clinton said in a statement that it would help "solidify and chart a course for the U.S.-Israeli defense relationship in the 21st century as we face a range of common challenges."
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be meeting separately with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in sessions that could set the tone for relations between the allied countries during the next presidential administration.
Trump met Sunday with Netanyahu for over an hour at his residence in Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to Israeli and campaign officials. Clinton also was expected to meet with the prime minister in New York on the eve of the first debate between the candidates. The Israeli leader has sought to project neutrality this time after perceptions arose that he favored Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama in 2012.
The press was barred from covering the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, but Trump's campaign said in a statement that the men, who have known each other for years, discussed "many topics important to both countries," including "the special relationship between America and Israel and the unbreakable bond between the two countries."
Among those topics: the nuclear deal with Iran, the battle against ISIS militants, military assistance provided by the US to Israel and other security issues.
"Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism," the campaign said in a statement. "He agreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli people want a just and lasting peace with their neighbors, but that peace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State."
Trump also repeated his pledge to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv if he's elected to the White House.
"Mr. Trump acknowledged that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish People for over 3000 years, and that the United States, under a Trump administration, will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel," the campaign said.
That promise has been made in various forms since at least 1992. Congress three years later passed a law calling for the US embassy to be moved to Jerusalem by 1999, but presidents of both parties always have waived the requirement. George W. Bush promised in 2000 to start the move "as soon as I take office," then didn't.
The pair also discussed "at length" Israel's use of a security fence to help secure its borders. Trump has proposed building a wall along the length of the southern border to keep out people and illegal drugs and often points to Israel as an example of how such barricades can be successful.
Trump also vowed "extraordinary strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries" if he's elected.
Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that Israel's Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also participated in the meeting.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu presented to Mr. Trump Israel's positions on regional affairs related to Israel's security and efforts to reach peace and stability in our region," said the statement. "Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Mr. Trump for his friendship and support of Israel.
The one-on-one discussions follow what was likely Netanyahu's final meeting with Obama last week, capping what has been a sometimes rocky relationship between the leaders of the two ally countries.
The Obama administration has opposed Israel's push to expand settlements in the West Bank while Netanyahu has been a leading critic of the US nuclear agreement with Iran. More recently, Netanyahu has urged Obama to avoid pushing for a Palestinian state in his final months in office.
Clinton has supported a negotiated two-state solution in the region, vowed to enforce the Iran nuclear agreement and help defend Israel's security. The former secretary of state suggested in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 earlier this month that the ISIS was "rooting for Donald Trump's victory" and he had helped strengthen the hands of extremists by his provocative statements about Muslims.
Trump has been a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear agreement and promised during a speech to AIPAC earlier this year that he would deepen ties between the two countries if he was elected president, adding the days of "treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on day one." But he also raised eyebrows when he questioned Israel's commitment to a peace deal last year and said he didn't want to show any bias in favor of one side or the other.
The meetings will also come after the US recently completed a 10-year, $38 billion military aid package for Israel. Clinton said in a statement that it would help "solidify and chart a course for the U.S.-Israeli defense relationship in the 21st century as we face a range of common challenges."