Washington DC, United States: Former US President Donald Trump recently took aim at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He accused the PM of Israel of stepping back just before the country was planning to kill a top Iranian general in 2020.
In addition to this, the leader also questioned the intelligence agencies of Israel as it is dealing with Hamas following a deadly attack. The leader released this statement during his rally at West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.
This statement by the former President was condemned by one of the allies of PM Netanyahu – the White House and other rivals of the 2024 presidential candidate.
Most of the American leaders have extended support towards Israel; President Biden has called this “deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.” The conflict has been taking the lives of many innocents, which is one of the major concerns for the authorities. Various reports have suggested that around 2,500 people from both sides have died.
However, former President Trump has passed a few statements that have painted him as a fierce defender of Israel. To be noted, he started his address by telling the crowd that his prayers were with Israel and assured them that he would stand firm with them, but later, he pointed out a “bad experience” with the leaders of Israel.
According to the reports by AP, he emphasized the conversation with senior leaders of Israel when the US was planning to kill Gen Qassem Soleimani and said, “Israel was going to do this with us, and it was being planned and working on it for months.”
Furthermore, he stated, “We had everything all set to go, and the night before it happened, I got a call that Israel would not be participating in this attack.”
In addition to this, Trump commented, “Nobody’s heard this story before. They didn’t tell us why,” and continued that he will never forget that PM Netanyahu let the US down during such a critical time.
He further underlined, “We were disappointed by that. Very disappointed, but we did the job ourselves, with absolute precision, and then Bibi tried to take credit for it.”
Trump’s comment about the intelligence failure of Israeli authorities:
Donald Trump stated that the Israeli authorities should work towards strengthening themselves as it was unable to catch the surprise attack by the Hamas militants.
He can be quoted saying, “They’ve got to straighten it out because they’re fighting, potentially, a very big force. They’re going to have to step up their game,” as per AP.
Trump calls Defense minister of Israel “jerk”:
Additionally, the former President of the United States denounced the Israeli Minister for Defense and regarded him as “this jerk.” Trump used the word while talking about the Minister’s warning to Hezbollah not to attack Israel from the northern direction.
Initially, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel denied to provide any comment in this regard. However, the communications minister of Israel – Shlomo Karhi, during interaction with Channel 113, stated that it was shameful that “a man like that, a former US president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.”
Karhi was further asked about the credibility of Donald Trump, to which he outlined that it is obvious that he (Trump) can’t be relied on.
Relations between Trump and Netanyahu:
During the presidential tenure of Donald Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States, both world leaders were close allies. However, Trump’s take over this ‘friendship’ changed after the Israeli PM congratulated Joe Biden for winning the presidential election 2020 while Trump was trying to overturn the results.
Trump calls Hezbollah “very smart”
In addition to this, Donald Trump was also criticized for calling the Lebanese militant group – Hezbollah “very smart.” This comment by Trump was denounced by the spokesperson for the White House – Andrew Bates.
Bates stated, “Calling an Iran-backed terrorist group ‘smart’ – especially at a time like this – is unhinged and sickening,” according to AP, he further asked, “Why in God’s name would any American do that?”