The recent comments made by former U.S. President, Donald Trump, against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in the wake of Hamas terror strikes in Israel, have sparked potential backlash within Republican ranks.
What Happened: As reported by The Hill, Trump, in a recent discourse, accused Netanyahu of “letting us down” in 2020. He also insinuated that the public interactions between the Biden administration and Israeli officials facilitated Hezbollah’s planning of further assaults on Israel. In another interview on the same day, Trump made derogatory remarks about Israel’s defense minister.
These statements have drawn criticism from fellow GOP presidential hopefuls, such as Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, and Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence. The comments could also attract further criticism from the largely pro-Israel GOP.
Republican strategist, Alex Stroman, labeled Trump’s comments as a “strategic mistake,” hinting that if he were a Republican candidate, he would use Trump’s words against him in campaign advertisements.
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Trump’s campaign has defended the former President, asserting that his comments were aimed at highlighting the ineptitude of the Biden administration and were not meant to laud Hezbollah. The campaign also dismissed the idea that these comments would have any significant long-term impact.
In spite of the backlash, Trump did pledge full U.S. support for Israel during his speech.
Why It Matters: The remarks come in the context of Trump’s previous criticism of Israel for its supposed intelligence failure during the assassination of Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani amidst the ongoing conflict with Hamas. Trump had accused Israel of being unprepared for a potential confrontation with Iran.
This also follows Trump’s assertion that the recent Hamas attacks on Israel and the conflict in Ukraine would not have happened under his presidency. Trump argued that both Israel and Ukraine would not have been attacked had he been in office.
Photo by Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock
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