Trump drops plans to visit Israeli leader amid flap
JERUSALEM – Donald Trump on Thursday called off a planned December trip to Israel, shelving what was shaping up to be an awkward visit by the Republican presidential front-runner following comments that managed to offend Muslims and Jews alike.
Dozens of Israeli lawmakers had called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel the Dec. 28 meeting with Trump. The prime minister, wary of being seen as endorsing Trump’s positions despite his own Republican leanings, had given only guarded remarks, saying he would honor a previously scheduled meeting but at the same time rejecting Trump’s calls to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Trump announced his decision on his Twitter feed, saying he would reschedule “at a later date after I become President of the U.S.”
Trump told Fox News there were many reasons he decided to hold off on a trip, among them that he didn’t want to put Netanyahu in a bind.
“In fact, I did a campaign ad for him, and he’s a good man, but I didn’t want to put him under pressure,” Trump said. “I also did it because I’m in the midst of a powerful campaign that’s going very well.”
Trump also drew criticism from some American Jews for his comments last week to a gathering of Jewish donors. He was booed after refusing to endorse Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, a key Israeli position.
Turkish president: Troops won’t be pulled from Iraq
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has no intention of pulling out troops that are stationed in Iraq as part of a training mission to help combat the Islamic State group.
Turkey has stationed troops near Mosul since last year, but the arrival of additional troops last week sparked an uproar in Baghdad, forcing Turkey to halt the new deployment.
Erdogan told reporters Thursday that the troops were deployed in 2014 in response to a request from the Iraqi government. He insisted the troops consist of a non-combative force.
Argentina’s new president takes oath of office
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentine President Mauricio Macri was sworn in Thursday, inheriting myriad economic problems from the often-divisive outgoing President Cristina Fernandez, who skipped the inauguration in a final sign of confrontation that underscored deep polarization in the South American nation.
Macri, the former mayor of Buenos Aires who hails from one of Argentina’s richest families, took the oath of office in Congress in front of legislators, several Latin American heads of state and other dignitaries, including former Spanish King Juan Carlos I.
The new president then launched into a speech that was both a long list of promises and a frank, if not brutal, assessment of how he saw Argentina, a country rich in natural resources that has also suffered several major economic meltdowns.
Macri said the nation of 41 million people was entering the 21st century behind in its development, and that its education system needed modernized at all levels.
Associated Press
