NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, giving each candidate fresh bragging rights about their knowledge of foreign policy and readiness to lead the nation on the eve of their first presidential debate.
Trump’s campaign said the men, who have known each other for years, discussed ‘‘many topics important to both countries,’’ including ‘‘the special relationship between America and Israel and the unbreakable bond between the two countries.’’
Among those topics: the nuclear deal with Iran, the battle against Islamic State militants, military assistance provided by the United States to Israel, and other security issues.
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Trump and Netanyahu also discussed Israel’s use of a fence to help secure its borders, an example Trump frequently cites when he’s talking about the wall he wants to build between the United States and Mexico, the campaign said.
‘‘Trump recognized that Israel and its citizens have suffered far too long on the front lines of Islamic terrorism,’’ the campaign said. ‘‘He agreed with Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli people want a just and lasting peace with their neighbors, but that peace will only come when the Palestinians renounce hatred and violence and accept Israel as a Jewish State.’’
Clinton met with the prime minister later in the day, also in New York. Both meetings were closed to the press.
The meetings were designed to put Israel on good footing with the next US president. But they also served to showcase the candidates’ foreign policy views in the shadow of their first debate Monday, six weeks before Election Day.
Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, often says that Trump does not know enough about the world and lacks the temperament to be president.
Trump has argued that he has extensive experience with foreign policy through his career as a business executive and blames Clinton for many of the nation’s stumbles in foreign policy.
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The Trump campaign did not say whether he and the Israeli leader discussed a ban on Muslim immigration that Trump has proposed and that Netanyahu has criticized or the issue of profiling as a way to counter terrorism.
In response to a bombing in New York on Sept. 17 that injured at least 29 people, Trump cited Israel as a good example of counterterrorism efforts. ‘‘In Israel they profile,’’ Trump said on Fox News. ‘‘They’ve done an unbelievable job, as good as you can do.’’
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has advised the candidate on issues relating to Jewish voters, were also present at the meeting, according Netanyahu’s office.
After her meeting with the prime minister, Clinton said a strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States and reaffirmed her “unwavering commitment’’ to the US-Israel relationship.
Clinton also stressed her support for the recent military aid agreement for Israel and her opposition to efforts to boycott Israel.
Netanyahu met with President Obama in Washington earlier in the week.
In a separate development Monday, Clinton’s campaign defended immunity deals granted to her aides in exchange for handing over their old laptops as part of the FBI’s investigation into her use of a private e-mail server while serving as secretary of state.
Clinton campaign strategist Joel Benenson said the deals were ‘‘fairly routine’’ when witnesses are turning over personal files to law enforcement. The issue could come up at the debate Monday night.
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On ABC’s ‘‘This Week,’’ Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway cited the immunity deal as an example of why Clinton has a trust deficit with Americans.
Three additional former State Department staffers got immunity agreements as part of the FBI investigation, including Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills.
The immunity agreements were limited in scope and did not cover statements made to investigators or potential testimony before Congress.