President Donald Trump emerged from the door of Air Force One on Monday morning to a trumpet fanfare before descending the steps and shaking hands with officials awaiting him on the red carpet at Ben Gurion Airport.
He greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warmly with a half-hug and a smile. The two men have a complicated relationship that has endured a number of ups and downs over the past several months.
“He’s a wartime president. He did a very good job. I had some disputes with him, and they were quickly settled,” Trump acknowledged on Air Force One last night.
The two men spoke for a few moments before moving onward to other officials, including the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Israel’s envoy to the US Yechiel Leiter.
Trump also greeted his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped broker the ceasefire agreement last week.
The Israeli military said the first group of seven returned hostages has arrived at the Re’im military facility where they will undergo an initial medical evaluation and reunite with their families.
The released hostages are accompanied by personnel from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Manpower Directorate and IDF medical teams at the reception point in southern Israel, the IDF statement said.
Details Later…
[CNN]