Trump talks ISIS, Palestinians in call with Netanyahu, who accepts US invite

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Netanyahu: Israelis do not need to be lectured about peace

Israel's prime minister says Kerry's speech is almost as unbalanced as the U.N. resolution passed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accepted a phone invitation from President Trump to visit the United States next month, according to the White House.

The call was purportedly part of a broader effort to strength U.S.-Israeli ties now that Trump is officially president and included Trump restating that defeating ISIS and other Islamic terrorist groups remains a top priority.

The two world leaders “agreed to continue to closely consult on a range of regional issues,” including the threats posed by Iran and relations between Israel and the Palestinians, the White House also said.

Trump during the call also “emphasized that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties, and that the United States will work closely with Israel to make progress towards that goal,” according to the White House.

The two leaders spoke after Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 9. And Netanyahu called Trump “a true friend of Israel,” after Trump’s victory.

Trump, a Republican, has been critical of how his predecessor, Barack Obama, and his administration treated Israel, considered the United States’ closest Middle East ally.

Most recently, the administration effectively backed a United Nations resolution that opposed Israel building more settlements in the disputed West Bank.