Israel's Gantz praises Trump peace plan, will work to implement it after election

Israel's centrist party leader Benny Gantz arrives on a flight via Zurich at Dulles airport

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli centrist party leader Benny Gantz on Monday praised U.S. President Donald Trump for drafting a Middle East peace deal and committed to help implementing it after Israel's March election.

"The president's peace plan is a significant and historic milestone, indeed," Gantz told reporters after his meeting with Trump. "Immediately after the elections, I will work toward implementing it from within a stable functioning Israeli government, in tandem with the other countries in our region."

As he left the briefing, Gantz told one reporter that he had a "superb meeting" with Trump.

Gantz said he and Trump discussed "matters of the utmost importance to Israel's future and security," but he would not disclose the details of the conversation for the time being.

(Reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Mary Milliken, Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)