{"text":[[{"start":15.95,"text":"Donald Trump set the stage for his first meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in months by declaring that Israel “wouldn’t survive” without the US and playing down concerns about selling F-35s to Turkey."}],[{"start":27.299999999999997,"text":"The US president’s remarks on Monday came on the eve of his first meeting in Washington with the Israeli premier since the two men launched the war on Iran earlier this year."}],[{"start":36.55,"text":"The meeting comes as US and Israeli interests in the Middle East have appeared to diverge, with Trump announcing a ceasefire between the US and Iran in April — before Israel had achieved any of its war goals."}],[{"start":49,"text":"Trump on Monday acknowledged “a little difference” in his and Netanyahu’s military objectives, and hinted at ongoing tensions with the Israeli premier, telling reporters as he travelled to Michigan that the US has been overly generous with “a lot of countries”."}],[{"start":64.1,"text":"“Frankly we’re being very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us. And you know who wouldn’t survive without us? Israel,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One. “Bibi’s coming, he’ll tell you.”"}],[{"start":77.19999999999999,"text":"Tuesday’s meeting will be the eighth between the two men since Trump returned to office last year, and will take place a few hours before they attend the funeral of Republican senator Lindsey Graham, an influential proponent of the Iran war and a key ally to Netanyahu in Washington."}],[{"start":92.54999999999998,"text":"Netanyahu said as he departed for the US on Monday that the meeting would “first and foremost” be about Iran, but “all issues” would be on the agenda. "}],[{"start":100.24999999999999,"text":"A person briefed on the matter said Netanyahu was going to Washington in “listening mode” but wanted the US to expand operations against Iran beyond the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway that has become the focal point of the conflict in recent months. "}],[{"start":114.74999999999999,"text":"Trump paused US attacks on Iran last Friday, after 13 consecutive nights of bombing. Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, said on Sunday that Trump hoped to give “the talks some space” to succeed."}],[{"start":129,"text":"“Netanyahu wants it to be about more than just Hormuz,” the person said. When the war was launched in late February, Netanyahu said the objectives were to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, and topple its regime. "}],[{"start":142.55,"text":"The person briefed on the visit said Netanyahu would also raise concerns about Turkey’s request to purchase advanced F-35 fighter jets from the US — a prospect that has sparked alarm in Israel given the fact that it would lessen its military advantage over other countries in the region."}],[{"start":161,"text":"Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that possesses F-35s. But Trump said this month after he met his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara that he would “certainly consider” selling Turkey the jets, which use stealth technology to avoid detection."}],[{"start":176.65,"text":"Netanyahu has argued vociferously against the plan, saying shortly after Trump’s announcement that going ahead with a sale would “destroy the power balance in the Middle East”."}],[{"start":186.3,"text":"He also lashed out against Erdoğan, a sharp critic of Israel’s war in Gaza and operations in Syria, branding his government “a regime that’s infected with the Muslim Brotherhood, which hates the United States”."}],[{"start":199.70000000000002,"text":"Trump said Monday that Erdoğan “is a friend of mine, and nobody tells me what we should be selling and not [selling]” in the US-Turkish relationship. However, Turkey’s path to buying the jets remains legally and politically complicated."}],[{"start":213.9,"text":"Washington removed Turkey from the F-35 project in 2019 after it took delivery of Russia’s S-400 air-defence system, which western officials feared would compromise Nato’s air defences. It subsequently imposed sanctions on Turkey’s defence procurement agency."}],[{"start":229.1,"text":"Lifting the sanctions would not by itself authorise delivery of the aircraft, as US law also prohibits transferring F-35s to Turkey as long as it possesses the S-400 or its associated equipment."}],[{"start":241.5,"text":"Israeli officials also expect Trump to use the meeting to push for swifter implementation of his plan for Gaza, which has been stalled for months with Israel seizing more land in the Palestinian enclave and Hamas refusing to disarm."}],[{"start":254.3,"text":"In an apparent gesture to Trump, an Israeli official said on Sunday night that Israel would allow a multinational stabilisation force to enter Gaza, as envisaged by Trump’s plan. The official added that the force would include soldiers from Morocco and Uganda."}],[{"start":268.5,"text":"“The decision on Gaza was a confidence-building measure vis-à-vis Trump,” the person briefed on Netanyahu’s trip said. “It’s not that Trump said do X, Y and Z and we’ll give you a meeting, but the US did want to see movement. Trump knows Bibi is heading into an election and he needs him.”"}],[{"start":283.35,"text":"A White House official told the FT that Trump would “discuss the conflict in Iran, progress with the Trilateral Framework in Lebanon, and expanding the Abraham Accords”. "}],[{"start":299.20000000000005,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785202372_7354.mp3"}