Former U.S. President Donald Trump commenced his address at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s conference with a resounding declaration of his affection for Israel, emphasizing, “I love Israel. I love Israel.”
This public affirmation followed a recent controversy in which Trump faced criticism for remarks he made during a campaign event. In that instance, he expressed his dissatisfaction with Israel regarding an intelligence lapse that contributed to the October 7th Hamas attack. He even went so far as to label Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as a “jerk” and praised the Hezbollah terror organization as “very smart.”
During his speech, Trump revisited a previous incident involving the 2020 assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, orchestrated by his administration. In doing so, he reiterated his assertion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had backed out of participating in the operation at the eleventh hour.
Trump conveyed his disappointment at the time, stating, “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. We were very disappointed, but we did the job ourselves, and it was absolute precision, magnificent, a beautiful job.” He went on to express his chagrin at Netanyahu’s subsequent attempt to claim credit for the operation, saying, “Then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good. But that’s all right.”
While Netanyahu’s office refrained from responding to requests for comment on this matter, Israel’s Communications Minister, Shlomo Karhi, condemned Trump’s comments in an interview with Israel’s Channel 13. Karhi described the former U.S. president’s actions as “shameful,” given his status, and criticized him for disseminating statements that could negatively affect the morale of Israel’s soldiers and citizens.
