Former United States President Donald Trump has reportedly called for the removal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office. The call comes in light of the intelligence failure in the recent surprise attack by Hamas, which Trump has publicly criticized.
According to the American Rolling Stone magazine, Trump spoke harshly against Netanyahu in conversations with pro-Israel officials and donors. He even raised the possibility of these supporters putting pressure on Netanyahu to resign, although his advisors advised him to wait due to the current state of the country and the consequences of the war.
The report also suggests that Trump wants Netanyahu to step down as prime minister until Trump potentially returns to the presidency in 2025. In these conversations, Trump was asked how he would handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if elected again, to which he mentioned plans to stop aid to the Palestinians and encourage other countries to do the same. He also expressed his intention to capture individuals wanted by Hamas.
Trump’s criticism of Netanyahu extends to a recent conference in Florida, where he expressed his disappointment that Netanyahu did not assist in the operation to kill Qassem Soleimani in 2020. He claimed that despite Netanyahu’s attempts to take credit, the United States had done the work themselves.
Furthermore, Trump publicly criticized Israel’s intelligence capabilities and emphasized the need for the country to strengthen itself in the face of organizations like Hamas. He also linked the conspiracy theory surrounding the 2020 election to the recent attack by Hamas, suggesting that Israel would not be facing such threats if the election had not been “stolen”.
The report in the American magazine sheds light on the strained relationship between Trump and Netanyahu, and the former president’s perspective on the current situation in Israel. It remains to be seen what impact, if any, these comments will have on Israeli politics and the future leadership of the country.