00:01Well, thank you very much.
00:02And I'm told this is a rather historic meeting
00:04because these countries have been bordering each
00:08other for many, many years, and it doesn't
00:11happen much, although they like each other.
00:13I found that out today, and I've sort of heard
00:15about that.
00:16They actually like each other, Lebanon and Israel.
00:19And we had a great meeting with the very high
00:22officials of Lebanon and very high officials of
00:26Israel, and we think that the President of Lebanon
00:30and the Prime Minister of Israel, over the next
00:32couple of weeks, will be coming here.
00:34They've agreed to an additional three weeks of,
00:38I guess, no firing, ceasefire.
00:41No more firing.
00:42Let's see.
00:43We hope that happens.
00:44It's not going to happen between that, but they do
00:45have Hezbollah to think about.
00:50And we're going to be working with Lebanon to
00:54get things straightened out in that country.
00:56I really believe it's something we can do pretty
00:58easily, just with the power of who we are.
01:02They're great people, the Lebanese people.
01:03We have our ambassador here who has done a fantastic
01:06job, ambassador to Lebanon from the United States.
01:11And we had a great conversation, and I think
01:15it's the beginning of something very important.
01:16It would be a wonderful thing to get this worked out
01:20simultaneously with what we're doing in Iran.
01:23And I'd like to start by just asking J.D., our
01:26Vice President, our great Vice President, to say
01:28a few words, and then Marco will speak.
01:30And then the representatives from the country.
01:33Mike Huckabee, you'll say a few words, Mike.
01:35You've done a great job, by the way.
01:37I appreciate it.
01:38Everybody does.
01:40And J.D., please.
01:41Mr. Yes, sir.
01:42Well, first of all, congratulations.
01:43Congratulations to you and our Secretary of State.
01:45But most importantly, congratulations to the
01:47people of Israel and Lebanon.
01:49I think it's a major historic moment.
01:51We're going to extend the ceasefire for three weeks
01:53that's already in place between Israel and Lebanon.
01:55Of course, it wouldn't have happened without the
01:57President's direct engagement.
01:59The fact that you have these leaders of different
02:00countries coming together for the first time,
02:03they came together in the Oval Office, and they came
02:04together because of energetic diplomacy, of
02:07course, led by the President of the United States.
02:09So I think it's a big moment for the world.
02:10It's a big moment for our country.
02:12But just very proud to be a part of it.
02:14So thank you, sir, for making it happen.
02:15Thank you very much, J.D.
02:16The President, thank you, Mr. President, for hosting
02:18this, actually.
02:19You know, the President wanted to be personally
02:21involved, and I'm glad he was because it made it
02:23possible to get this extension.
02:24And it gives everybody time to continue to work on
02:27what's going to be a permanent peace between
02:29two countries that want to be at peace.
02:30Both are victimized by the same terrorist
02:32organization, a terrorist organization that no
02:35doubt has victimized Israel, but has also
02:37victimized the people of Lebanon.
02:38The people of Lebanon deserve to live in a
02:41country that's peaceful and prosperous.
02:43They have an opportunity to do that.
02:44They have a history of that.
02:45And what's standing in the way is an organization
02:47that operates a terrorist organization that
02:50operates within their national territory that
02:52needs to be that threat needs to be eliminated.
02:54And so thank you, Mr. President, for this
02:56gathering today and for convening it and being a
02:59key part of it.
03:00And it spies this time to continue to work.
03:02I'm very optimistic that in a few weeks we'll be
03:04even closer to the kind of permanent peace that the
03:06people of Israel and Lebanon deserve.
03:08Thank you very much.
03:09Michelle, please.
03:10Well, I would like to thank the President, the
03:13Vice President, and Secretary to make this
03:15historical meeting today that bring two countries
03:19that they've never been next to each other more
03:21than today in a way.
03:22This is 60, 70 years in the making, and today is
03:26really the historical day.
03:27Thank you, Mr. President, Vice President,
03:29Secretary, and I'm going to keep going, working for a
03:34peace that hopefully will get it as soon as possible.
03:36Thank you, very successful man.
03:39And when I asked him if he'd like to be
03:41ambassador to Lebanon, I said, could be a
03:44dangerous job.
03:45He said, well, I'm Lebanese.
03:47I was born in Lebanon and I, your parents have a
03:50whole big history.
03:51He said, danger doesn't matter to me, really.
03:54It's something I want to do.
03:54He's very successful.
03:55He didn't need this.
03:57And I think it's probably more dangerous than you
03:59even thought, but you've done a fantastic job.
04:01It is an honor for me to serve you, Mr.
04:04President, and then I'm going to go till
04:06the end.
04:07Thank you very much.
04:09And likewise, Mike Huckabee, we all know Mike.
04:12And he didn't need it either, did he?
04:14But he's doing a fantastic job.
04:16Mike, go ahead, please.
04:17I just want to say, Mr. President, what an
04:19amazing opportunity to be here at a moment of history.
04:22The people of Lebanon and the people of Israel are
04:24neighbors, and they want to get along.
04:26They can get along.
04:28But it's like neighbors who have a rough little kid
04:30living in the neighborhood who keeps throwing rocks at
04:32everybody's window.
04:33And if the kid will quit throwing rocks, the
04:36neighbors can get along and start actually working
04:39together.
04:39The President has initiated something that is truly
04:43bringing the neighborhood back to a neighborhood.
04:46And recognizing that the problem is not Lebanon, that
04:49the problem is not Israel, the problem is
04:51Hezbollah, the bad little kid throwing rocks.
04:54That's what the President is going to launch today to
04:58get that little kid out of the neighborhood.
05:04Mr. Ambassador?
05:05The President, of course.
05:05Well, thank you, Mr. President, for your
05:07hospitality, for bringing Israel and Lebanon together
05:11here in the Oval Office.
05:13Israel wants peace with Lebanon, and Israel wants
05:16security for its citizens.
05:18We're united with the Lebanese government, wanting to
05:21rid the country of this malign influence called Hezbollah.
05:25And now that, Mr. President, under your leadership,
05:28Iran has been so degraded, the possibility of
05:32degrading Hezbollah and liberating Lebanon from
05:35their occupation is real.
05:37So we hope that together, under your leadership, we can
05:40formalize peace between Israel and Lebanon in the
05:43very near future.
05:43And we are just very thankful for the opportunity.
05:46The President, thank you.
05:47And I look forward to having the next meeting with
05:50your great Prime Minister.
05:52As a wartime Prime Minister, with Bibi and with the
05:55President of Lebanon, it will be fantastic.
05:58I think a lot is going to happen.
06:01Madam Ambassador, of course.
06:02Thank you so much.
06:03Thank you so much, President Trump.
06:05Thank you for your leadership, for making sure to be
06:08presiding over this historic moment.
06:11I want to really say thank you to the United States,
06:13under your leadership, for all your effort to help and
06:16to support Lebanon.
06:17And I think with your help, with your support, we can
06:20make Lebanon great again.
06:21Thank you so much.
06:22The President, thank you.
06:23I like that phrase.
06:24Sounds nice.
06:25The President, that's a good phrase.
06:26M-N-G-A.
06:27The President, thank you very much.
06:28I think we will.
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