Trump foreign policy aides meet Netanyahu amid ICC warrant: Reuters
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The primary goal of the trip was to gain a better understanding of "Israel's" domestic political situation.
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In this Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 photo, an election campaign billboard shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine (AP)
Three former US foreign policy officials from Donald Trump's administration met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other prominent figures in "Tel Aviv" on Monday, sources told Reuters.
The delegation reportedly included Robert O'Brien, Trump's final national security adviser, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates John Rakolta, and former Ambassador to Switzerland Ed McMullen.
The group also met with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and several other Israeli officials, the sources said.
The primary goal of the trip was to gain a better understanding of "Israel's" domestic political situation.
This comes as the International Criminal Court's prosecutor recently announced requests for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Security chief for war crimes in Gaza.
It remains unclear if the meeting with Netanyahu occurred before or after this announcement.
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The specifics of the discussions between the Trump allies and Israeli officials were not disclosed.
The source noted that the delegation was not acting on Trump's request and had no message to convey to Israeli officials, although they serve as informal advisers to Trump and will likely brief him on the meetings.
Trump has occasionally criticized "Israel's" operations in Gaza and faulted Netanyahu for not preventing the October 7 operation.
Nevertheless, Trump, who is running for president, positions himself as a more steadfast ally of "Israel" compared to President Joe Biden, his opponent in the upcoming election.
Read more: Trump slams Biden policy, urges Israelis not to share Gaza war footage
During Trump's presidency from 2017 to 2021, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Al-Quds, a significant and controversial action that pleased Israelis.
Rakolta played a key role in the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between "Israel" and Bahrain and the UAE.
O'Brien is considered one of Trump's top foreign policy advisers and is expected to play a significant role should Trump return to office.
Foreign officials have been engaging with Trump or his advisers recently to understand his potential policies if he returns to the White House.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in March. Last month, the former president received Polish President Andrzej Duda at Trump Tower in New York.
The 1799 Logan Act permits Americans outside the government to meet foreign officials but restricts their ability to negotiate US disputes with foreign governments.
