PALM BEACH, Fla. — With all eyes on a high-profile meeting between former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw assured the public that authorities are "on top of the ball game and things will go very smooth."
During a news conference Thursday, Bradshaw said Netanyahu is expected to arrive in South Florida at approximately 11 a.m. Friday.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office will then escort the prime minister to Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Palm Beach, where Bradshaw said Netanyahu is expected to stay for two to three hours before returning to the airport.
"There's a lot of apprehension out here, I think, right now about presidential visits and dignitaries, given what happened up in [Pennsylvania]. And I want everyone to feel comfortable to come to events here," Bradshaw said. "We're well trained at this. We protected the president for four years here. We've never had a glitch."
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The sheriff emphasized his agency works seamlessly with the Secret Service, and a complete security plan is in place for Friday's major meeting.
In addition to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Secret Service, the West Palm Beach Police Department, Martin County Sheriff's Office, Broward Sheriff's Office, and Florida Highway Patrol will be involved in the operation.
Bradshaw on Thursday encouraged peaceful protests, saying he doesn't believe any demonstrations will be "en masse" like they were in Washington earlier this week, when thousands of protesters against the war in Gaza condemned Netanyahu's visit to our nation's capital, chanting "Free Palestine" as they marched toward the Capitol before police deployed pepper spray on some in the crowd.
Outside Washington's Union Station, protesters removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place to massive cheers in the crowd.
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"We're gonna provide people space on both sides of the road to wave hi. Or if you want to demonstrate, that's fine," Bradshaw said. "Don't go in the road, folks. That's a no-no. I know some of the protesters like to shut roads down and make a statement. That ain't gonna happen here. We're not gonna allow it."
The sheriff said road closures around Mar-a-Lago will start approximately 30 to 45 minutes before Netanyahu's arrival in South Florida.
"We have good intelligence information. We're very fortunate because we're the lead agency for Homeland Security. We talk back and forth. We know what to expect," Bradshaw said. "That's why I said in the beginning, don't go in the road. Because we know they like to sit down and occupy places."
Trump agreed to a Friday meeting with the Israeli leader. Trump announced it on Truth Social, using it to promote what he wrote was his "PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH Agenda" abroad.
Trump has had a mixed relationship with Netanyahu, including cursing him for what Trump portrayed as Netanyahu’s quick recognition of Biden’s victory in the 2020 elections.
Ahead of Friday's meeting with Trump, Netanyahu is set to make a long-awaited trip to the White House on Thursday to meet with President Joe Biden and likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at an important moment for all three politicians.
Netanyahu's White House visit, his first since before Trump left office in 2020, comes at a time of growing pressure on all three to find an endgame to the nine-month war that's left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza.
Dozens of Israeli hostages are still languishing in Hamas captivity.
