Israeli President Isaac Herzog's meeting at the White House with President Joe Biden on Tuesday comes as Hamas makes "one last try" to reach a peace agreement before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie tells Newsmax.
"They know that [during] his four years in office, [Trump] showed unwavering support for Israel's right to fight back, Israel's right to survive," Wilkie told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "He was certainly someone that the Israelis could count on when it came to their struggles against the Iranian-backed terrorists who are on their border."
The meeting between Herzog and Biden on Tuesday also comes as the outgoing administration is seeking progress in cease-fire talks in Lebanon and Gaza before Trump takes power, reports ABC News.
Herzog's office said the meeting is at 11:30 a.m., after which he plans to speak to the media.
His office said he will also meet with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who Trump has picked as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has advised Trump on foreign policy.
Wilkie, who served in Trump's first administration, said that Herzog is a "great public servant, but he is ceremonial. The power in Israel is with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu."
Trump and Netanyahu have been speaking frequently since last week's election, and Wilkie said that their partnership warns any Arab nation away from tying fortunes to Iran.
"The power of the United States will back the Israelis," he said. "But on the Sunni Arab side, remember, there was peace in the Middle East for four years because the Sunnis and the Israelis found common ground, not just against the common enemy in Tehran, but they understood that economic and cultural development was the key to survival in the region."
The meetings also send a signal to the region's "real powers" in China and Moscow that a "new sheriff is in town," said Wilkie. "I think what you'll see is a return to the notion of American deterrence, the presence of a president of the United States who will not sit by while Americans are attacked, and while our allies are attacked."
Biden and Trump are also to meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, and Wilkie said he expects that the two will come out with a "promise to engage in a peaceful transition of power."
"I think you'll see the most professional transition, certainly in post-World War II America," said Wilkie, adding that he does not think Biden will get anywhere by demanding Trump continues his administration's policies, including on Ukraine.
"I do think that what is in the back of President Trump's mind, and I'm not speaking for him, is that he really will fulfill his promise and that on day one, I do think that that call will go to Moscow, and the call will be very simple," said Wilkie. "'You stop or we give the Ukrainians everything that they want.' And that's something that Joe Biden has never said. That's why I think, and you all have talked about this for months, that's why we've had this protracted, bloody, almost medieval conflict on the borders of Eastern Europe."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.