Former U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of betraying him simply earlier than the U.S. killed a prime Iranian basic in 2020 and is questioning the nation’s intelligence prowess because it responds to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas’ assault.
Trump’s feedback at a West Palm Beach, Florida, rally on Wednesday have been shortly denounced by one among Netanyahu’s allies, the White House and by a number of Republican presidential rivals, together with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Most American leaders, together with the Republican presidential contenders, have lined up behind Israel after Hamas launched a shock assault early Saturday.
The assault was adopted by Israel’s relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have launched a siege of Gaza and have been bombing it for six days, concentrating on civilian properties in addition to infrastructure belonging to Hamas.
More than 2,700 individuals have died on the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
In distinction to President Joe Biden’s help for Israel, Trump, the early front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination who has lengthy tried to color himself as a fierce defender of Israel, supplied stark criticism.
He informed the rally crowd that his prayers have been with Israel and once more vowed to face by the nation and again efforts to destroy Hamas – earlier than he went on to explain a “bad experience” with Israel’s leaders.
“Israel was going to do this with us, and it was being planned and working on it for months,” he mentioned concerning the coordination to kill Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the pinnacle of Quds Force, the international operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
“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.”
“Nobody’s heard this story before,” Trump mentioned. “They didn’t tell us why.”
“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,” he mentioned.
“We were disappointed by that. Very disappointed,” he mentioned. “But we did the job ourselves, with absolute precision … and then Bibi tried to take credit for it.”
Trump additionally pointed to intelligence failures forward of final weekend’s Hamas assault, which caught Israel unexpectedly, saying the nation needed to “strengthen themselves up.”
“They’ve got to straighten it out because they’re fighting, potentially, a huge force,” he mentioned. “They’re going to have to step up their game.” He additional criticized Israel’s protection minister, calling him “this jerk” for warning Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah to not assault Israel from the north.
Trump doubled down on his criticism of Netanyahu and his authorities in a radio interview that aired Thursday.
“He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared,” Trump informed Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. “Who would have thought their intelligence wouldn’t have been able to pick this up? Thousands of people were involved. Thousands of people knew about it, and they let this slip by.”
Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, informed Israel’s Channel 13 that it was “shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens.”
“We don’t have to bother with him and the nonsense he spouts,” Karhi mentioned. Asked if Trump’s feedback make it clear that he cannot be relied on, Karhi replied, “Obviously.”
While Trump and Netanyahu have been shut allies throughout Trump’s time in workplace, the previous president turned on the embattled Israel chief after he congratulated then-President-elect Joe Biden for profitable the 2020 election whereas Trump was nonetheless attempting to overturn the outcomes.
In interviews for a ebook about Middle East peace efforts, Trump, based on its writer, used an expletive to explain Netanyahu and mentioned he believed the Israeli chief by no means actually needed to make peace.
Trump’s rivals shortly seized on his new feedback. Speaking to reporters after submitting for the New Hampshire major on Thursday afternoon, DeSantis mentioned, “Now is not the time to be attacking our ally.”
Netanyahu, he mentioned, is “managing one of the most difficult situations Israel’s ever had to face. You may have a personal vendetta or beef with him, but is that really the time to be out there doing that and to be attacking the Israeli defense minister? I don’t think so.”
He additionally criticized Trump for calling Hezbollah “very smart.”
On X, previously often called Twitter, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates mentioned, “Calling an Iran-backed terrorist group ‘smart’ – especially at a time like this – is unhinged and sickening.” He added, “Why in God’s name would any American do that?”
“Our nation’s support for Israel is resolute and unwavering,” added Biden. “And the right time to praise the terrorists who seek to destroy them is never.”
Trump and different Republicans have tried to put blame on the Biden administration for the Hamas assault, notably citing the discharge of practically $6 billion in frozen belongings to Iran, a supporter of Hamas. Biden administration officers insist that cash has not been spent.
The Democratic president’s marketing campaign mentioned Trump has been pushing harmful misinformation concerning the disaster in Israel when the international locations ought to stand collectively.
“While Trump continues to lie about his record, President Biden is laser-focused on providing steadfast support for Israel and leading on the global stage,” Biden marketing campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz mentioned.
Trump has lengthy mentioned that he did extra to help Israel than any earlier president, pointing to his choice to maneuver the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
Source: www.dailysabah.com