Trump Rebukes Israel for Making a ‘Very Big Mistake’ and Urges It to ‘Finish Up’ War in Gaza Because It’s ‘Losing a Lot of Support’
(AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called on Israel to “finish up” its military operation in the Gaza Strip and chided the world’s only Jewish-majority state for having made “very big mistake” in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack in an interview with Israel Hayom.
Trump told his interlocutor that while he would have reacted in a similar manner to the October 7 attack — “You would have to be crazy not to” — he nevertheless believes that the war in Gaza must end.
“You have to finish up your war. To finish it up. You gotta get it done. And, I am sure you will do that. And we gotta get to peace, we can’t have this going on,” said Trump. “And I will say, Israel has to be very careful, because you’re losing a lot of the world, you’re losing a lot of support, you have to finish up, you have to get the job done. And you have to get on to peace, to get on to a normal life for Israel, and for everybody else.”
After being asked how he would “counter the wave of antisemitism in the wake of the war’s outbreak” if he were to be elected president again, Trump attributed rising levels of antisemitism to the war in Gaza.
“Well, that’s because you fought back. And I think Israel made a very big mistake. I wanted to call [Israel] and say don’t do it. These photos and shots. I mean, moving shots of bombs being dropped into buildings in Gaza,” argued Trump. “And I said, Oh, that’s a terrible portrait. It’s a very bad picture for the world. The world is seeing this…every night, I would watch buildings pour down on people. It would say it was given by the Defense Ministry, and said whoever’s providing that that’s a bad image.”
After the interviewer noted that there were “terrorists” who were “hiding in those buildings,” Trump replied “Go and do what you have to do. But you don’t do that. And I think that’s one of the reasons that there has been a lot of kickback.”
“If people didn’t see that, every single night I’ve watched every single one of those. And I think Israel wanted to show that it’s tough, but sometimes you shouldn’t be doing that,” he added.
Trump’s rebuke of Israel comes on the same day that his opponent in the 2024 presidential election, Joe Biden, directed the United States to abstain in a vote at the United Nations Security Council regarding a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The motion passed.
