An Israeli official said Donald Trump’s comments attacking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and praising Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah “wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters” amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, told 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,” the Associated press reports. “We don’t have to bother with him and the nonsense he spouts.”
Asked if Trump’s comments make it clear that he can’t be relied on, Karhi replied, “Obviously.”
At his rally in West Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, accused Netanyahu of refusing to cooperate with the US air strike that killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, then later tried to take credit for it.
“Israel was going to do this with us, and it was being planned and working on it for months. We had everything all set to go, and the night before it happened, I got a call that Israel will not be participating in this attack,” Trump said. “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down.”
“We were disappointed by that. Very disappointed,” he continued. “But we did the job ourselves, with absolute precision … and then Bibi tried to take credit for it.”
Trump also praised Hezbollah, the Iranian backed terrorist group threatening Israel’s northern border.
“Two nights ago, I read all of Biden’s security people who said, ‘Gee, I hope Hezbollah doesn’t attack Israel from the north because that’s the most vulnerable spot,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Wait a minute, Hezbollah is very smart’”.
Trump has received bipartisan criticism from several individuals for his remarks, including the White House, President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
