President Trump said Thursday that, with debate raging in the United States over a southern border wall, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week offered him unprompted assurances that walls work, saying Israel’s barrier on the West Bank is all but impenetrable.
“Essential to border security is a powerful, physical barrier. Walls work, whether we like it or not. They work better than everything,” Trump said during a signing ceremony for the farm bill. “In Israel — 99.9 percent successful. Think of it. I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister, two days ago. We were talking about it.”
Trump has demanded Congress provide $5 billion for construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The president’s request, which dates back to his 2016 campaign promise to build a wall, has sent GOP lawmakers back to the drawing board after the Senate passed Wednesday a short-term continuing resolution that did not include the $5 billion for the wall.
The measure, passed by voice vote in the Senate, funded several government agencies at their current levels until Feb. 8.
After a last-minute meeting at the White House earlier Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters Trump would not sign the spending bill in its current form, as the president had “legitimate concerns” about border security.
The House is now gearing up to vote on a spending measure that includes the $5 billion for the border wall, as well as $8.7 billion for states impacted by hurricanes and wildfires.
It’s unclear whether the legislation will pass the GOP-controlled House.
Trump during the signing ceremony noted his problems with the short-term continuing resolution passed by the Senate during opening remarks at the farm bill signing, saying any measure that funds the government has to include border security.
“This is not merely my campaign promise. This is the promise every lawmaker made,” Trump said. “It’s the solemn promise to protect and defend the United States of America, and it is our sacred obligation. We have no choice.”
