Trump Criticizes Netanyahu: Bibi Let Us Down

In a speech delivered in West Palm Beach, Florida, former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, suggesting that Netanyahu did not assist in the U.S. effort to assassinate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq in 2020. Trump claimed that Netanyahu was unhelpful initially but later attempted to claim credit for the operation.

Trump expressed disappointment with Netanyahu’s perceived lack of support, emphasizing the need for clear, accurate communication in the face of potential challenges, particularly from Iran. He praised the precision and success of the operation, albeit with disappointment that Netanyahu sought to take credit for it.

“I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing. I will say that. And so, when I see sometimes the intelligence– you talk about the intelligence or you talk about some of the things that went wrong over the last week, they’ve gotta straighten it out because they’re fighting – potentially – a very big force, potentially Iran. And when they have people saying the wrong things, everything they say is being digested by these people because they’re vicious and they’re smart, and boy are they vicious ’cause nobody’s ever seen the kind of sight that we’ve seen. Nobody’s ever seen it. But they cannot play games,” Trump said.

“So, we were disappointed by that. Very disappointed, but we did the job ourself, but it was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job. And then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That didn’t make me feel too good, but that’s all right. So, they gotta strengthen themselves up,” he added.

The former President also indirectly linked Israel’s current conflict with Hamas to the 2020 U.S. election, suggesting that it may not have occurred if the election were not “rigged.” He indicated that the alleged irregularities in the election led to a situation in which Israel felt the need to engage in this military conflict.

“If the election wasn’t rigged, there would be nobody even thinking about going into Israel,” said Trump.

Before his Florida speech, Trump criticized Netanyahu in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. He remarked on Netanyahu’s lack of preparedness for the situation and suggested that under his own leadership, Israel would not have faced the same challenges. Despite their past closeness, Trump expressed his disappointment with Netanyahu, who had previously congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory.

“He has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here,” Trump said of Netanyahu. “He was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn’t have had to be prepared. That was not a good thing for him or for anybody.”

Notably, Trump had previously expressed frustration with Netanyahu for congratulating Biden early on, leading to a strained relationship. Despite this, Netanyahu mentioned in a recent interview with CNN that he appreciated what Trump had done during his time in office, including moving the U.S. embassy to Yerushalayim, recognizing Yerushalayim as Israel’s capital, acknowledging Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and taking a critical stance on the Iran nuclear agreement. He noted that he respected the substantive positions and actions of leaders and allies, regardless of the occasional shifts in their relationships.

{Matzav.com}