Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet separately with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Sunday, several sources with knowledge of the meetings told CNN.
The meetings were arranged in the last 24 hours and will take place in New York City, one of the sources told CNN. This source added that the meeting with Trump came to fruition following a phone call between the GOP nominee’s representatives and Netanyahu’s office after it was clear that a similar meeting was going to take place with Clinton.
Another source disputed that account, saying Trump’s camp reached an agreement with Netanyahu’s office first.
Additional details about the meetings, including what will be discussed, were not immediately disclosed.
Clinton and Trump, the respective Democratic and Republican candidates for president, are set to face off in their first debate Monday night.
Clinton had also planned to visit Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, but scrapped those plans due to the unrest following the police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott earlier this week.
Netanyahu met with President Barack Obama on Wednesday in what was likely their last face-to-face consultation. The relationship between the leaders of the two close allies was often contentious, with the White House accusing Netanyahu of being less-than-diplomatic in expressing his opposition to US policies like the nuclear agreement with Iran.
The Obama administration, in turn, has publicly opposed Israel’s expanded settlement activity in the West Bank and has expressed disappointment at Netanyahu’s occasional skepticism about the viability of a two-state solution in the region.
Obama has looked to boost the relationship with Israel during the homestretch of the presidential campaign, which he hopes Clinton will win.
Obama took a step toward solidifying the alliance this month by completing a long-term, $38 billion security aid package for Israel, the largest such agreement ever for a US ally.
