Netanyahu Point Man Ron Dermer Meets Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Photo Credit: AIPAC

Ambassador Ron Dermer at AIPAC. March 4, 2018

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump at his Florida estate on Sunday, Axios reported on Monday, citing two Israeli and two American officials.

The former said that Dermer conveyed messages to Trump from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed Israel’s plans in Lebanon and Gaza, Iran and Israeli-Saudi normalization.

“One of the things the Israelis wanted to sort out with Trump is what are the issues he prefers to see solved before Jan. 20 and what are the issues he prefers the Israelis to wait for him [on],” the latter told Axios.

Dermer also reportedly met with Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser, Jared Kushner.

The Biden administration was notified before the Trump visit, and Dermer arrived in Washington on Monday for meetings with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Dermer is also expected to meet with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Biden’s advisers, Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein.

U.S. officials told Axios that Netanyahu signaled to the Biden administration that he wants the war in Lebanon to end within weeks, but that Washington and Jerusalem have yet to agree on the wording of a letter that would include the U.S. commitment that Israel would be allowed to take military action in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is rearming and reestablishing itself in the border area.

A U.S. official said that Hochstein and the Israelis had exchanged several drafts in recent days but hadn’t yet reached an agreement.

“We just have a couple more things to work through with the Israeli side, but we are almost done,” the official said.

Dermer visited Russia last week amid Lebanon ceasefire efforts, according to Israel’s Army Radio.

Reuters reported on Monday that Hezbollah has not received an official ceasefire proposal.

“So far, according to my information, nothing official has reached Lebanon or us in this regard,” the head of the Iranian terror proxy’s media office, Mohammad Afif, said in a news conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

“I believe that we are still in the phase of testing the waters and presenting initial ideas and proactive discussions, but so far there is nothing actual yet,” he added.

“There is no agreement at the moment. We think that deal is coming together, but like anything, [nothing’s] done until it’s done,” a U.S. official told Axios.