Considering mutual defence treaty with Israel: Trump

Washington, Sep 15 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said a mutual defense treaty with Israel is under consideration, which would strengthen US defence ties with the Middle East country.

Trump tweeted on Saturday that he had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to discuss the possibility of moving forward with a Mutual Defence Treaty," adding he is looking forward to "continuing those discussions after the Israeli Elections," Xinhua news agency reported.

The phone call came days before Israel’s election, in which Netanyahu’s party is in close contest with the opposition party Blue and White.

According to the US State Department, the United States is currently member to seven collective defence treaties, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Southeast Asia Treaty, the Rio treaty, a defence treaty with Australia and New Zealand, and bilateral treaties with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.