Donald Trump, the presumed Republican nominee and a former president, claims that Israel should cease its military actions against Hamas in Gaza because the fighting is damaging Israel’s standing internationally.
In an interview published on Monday, Trump stated, “You have to finish up your war… to finish it up,” to the publication Israel Hayom. “You must finish it. And you’ll definitely carry that out.”
“What I saw October 7 was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen,” Trump said, adding that he supported Israel’s first response to the Hamas attack last year. However, he felt that the response had gone on for too long.
“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,” Trump stated. “And you have to get on to peace, to get on to a normal life for Israel, and for everybody else.”
In the nearly six months since Hamas carried out a devastating raid into southern Israel that claimed 1,200 lives, more than 30,000 Palestinians have perished at the hands of Israeli bombs.
Trump and Netanyahu Have Previously Clashed
Although Trump has long bragged about his love for Israel, he has also fought with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and perpetuated prejudices about Jewish voters.
Soon after the incident on October 7, Trump virtually placed the blame on Netanyahu, claiming that the government had overestimated how “very smart” its opponents were and that Israeli security services had failed.
In addition, Trump had chastised Netanyahu for disregarding his protests of the election and instead phoning to congratulate Joe Biden on winning the presidency in 2020.
In response to US criticism of the war, Netanyahu has recoiled. He postponed the diplomatic team from Israel’s visit on Monday, following the United States’ approval of a resolution by the U.N. Security Council demanding an end to hostilities in Gaza.
