Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, has issued a forceful response to former US president Donald Trump’s comments following the recent Hamas terror attacks. The 2024 Republican frontrunner accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “letting down” the United States.
Karhi, speaking on Israel’s Channel 13, labeled Trump’s remarks as “shameful,” criticizing the former president for spreading propaganda that negatively affects the morale of Israel’s citizens and fighters. The communications minister dismissed Trump, stating that there is no need to pay attention to the nonsensical statements he makes.
“It is shameful that a man like that, a former US president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens,” Karhi said.
“We don’t have to bother with him and the nonsense he spouts,” he added.
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During a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump recounted a “bad experience” he had with Israeli leaders during his presidency, particularly highlighting a situation involving the planned attack on Iranian Gen Qassem Soleimani. Trump claimed that Israel withdrew from the operation at the last minute without providing an explanation, expressing disappointment in Netanyahu.
“Israel was going to do this with us, and it was being planned and working on it for months,” Trump told the crowd about the plan to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. “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.”
“Nobody’s heard this story before,” the former president claimed. “They didn’t tell us why. I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. We were disappointed by that. Very disappointed.”
“But we did the job ourselves, with absolute precision … and then Bibi tried to take credit for it,” Trump alleged before praising Hezbollah as “very smart.”
In contrast, President Joe Biden reiterated the United States’ unwavering support for Israel in the face of the attacks.
The White House reported that 27 Americans lost their lives in the Hamas attacks, with 14 still unaccounted for. White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates criticized Trump’s comments as “dangerous and unhinged.”
This controversy adds to Trump’s history of allegedly mishandling sensitive information as retired US General Mark Hertling reminded Republican critics of a past incident where Trump allegedly leaked Israeli intelligence to Russian officials, raising concerns about the information potentially reaching Iran.
Trump faced backlash for this action during his presidency, and it remains a point of contention as one of the criminal charges he currently faces relates to the mishandling of secret documents. Trump denies any wrongdoing, asserting his right to retain the documents after leaving office.
