On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with congressional leaders on Capitol Hill, coming shortly after his meeting with President Trump in which it was announced at a joint press conference that the United States plans to “take over” the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu met Thursday with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and a bipartisan group of senators. “We had a good discussion about Israel security and about the imperative of the return of the rest of the hostages,” said Thune who also told reporters that the president “wants to bring a more peaceful and secure Middle East, and he’s putting some ideas out there. ” Appearing alongside the group of senators before the meeting,  Netanyahu simply replied “no” when asked whether U.S. troops are needed in Gaza,

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who also met with Netanyahu at the Capitol on Thursday, has defended Trump’s Gaza proposal, stating that the announcement “was greeted by surprise by many, but cheer by I think people all around the world. He’s taking bold decisive action to try to ensure the peace of that region, ” adding that “we’ve got to stand unequivocally” with Israel.

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