Netanyahu gifts golden pager: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who became the first foreign leader to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House after he assumed the presidency, gifted the American President a golden pager. The gift is becoming prominent, as it is being seen as a reference to Israel’s pager attack on Iran in September last year. According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, Trump thanked Netanyahu for the gift, adding, “That was a great operation.” In a return gift, the US President offered a photo of two of them.
When Netanyahu admitted the pager attack for the first time
In September, Netanyahu for the first time admitted that Israel was behind the pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah. The attack left at least 39 people dead and more than 3,000 injured, according to local media reports.
“The pager operation and the elimination of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defence establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon,” The Times of Israel newspaper quoted Netanyahu as saying. Thousands of pagers containing explosives exploded on their Hezbollah owners across Lebanon and parts of Syria on September 16.
While the world was still absorbing the news of pager explosions, walkie-talkies met the same fate a day later on September 17, shocking the world at the level of Israeli intelligence’s preparation in its war against the Lebanese Shia militia.
Will Trump help Netanyahu in distracting the public from the trial?
Netanyahu is in the middle of weekslong testimony in an ongoing corruption trial that centres on allegations he exchanged favours with media moguls and wealthy associates. He has decried the accusations and said he is the victim of a “witch hunt”. Being seen with Trump, who is popular in Israel, could help distract the public from the trial and boost Netanyahu’s standing.
It’s Netanyahu’s first travel outside Israel since the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for him, his former defence minister and Hamas’ slain military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.
(With inputs from AP)
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