Israel’s president hopes US-Israel talks will undermine Iran’s “empire of evil” as Netanyahu meets Trump to push for a harder line on Tehran.
CANBERRA: Israel’s President Isaac Herzog expressed hope that talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump would help combat Iran’s “empire of evil”.
Speaking alongside Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, Herzog wished them “success in bringing peace and undermining that empire of evil emanating from Tehran”.
Netanyahu is making his sixth visit to the US since Trump took office. He has stated he will urge the US leader to adopt a tougher stance on Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
On the eve of the hastily arranged White House meeting, Trump said he was considering sending a second US “armada” to the Middle East to pressure Tehran into reaching a nuclear deal.
Herzog added that the leaders would discuss “the next phase in Gaza which is important to all of us, which I hope will bring a better future for all of us”.
The Israeli president’s four-day trip to Australia aims to console the nation’s Jewish community after a December shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed 15 people at a Hanukkah festival.
His visit has also sparked protests in major Australian cities by groups opposed to Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories.
Chaos erupted in central Sydney on Monday evening as police tried to prevent a rally from entering a restricted area. Law enforcement used pepper spray on protesters and members of the media, including an AFP photographer, during scuffles.