Former President Donald Trump has openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack that claimed the lives of around 1,200 people, asserting that the assault "should have never happened." In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine published Tuesday, Trump expressed his belief that the attack has had a "profound impact" on the 74-year-old Israeli leader.
"They have the most sophisticated equipment," Trump, 77, said of Israeli security forces. "They had - everything was there to stop that. And a lot of people knew about it, you know, thousands and thousands of people knew about it, but Israel didn't know about it, and I think he's being blamed for that very strongly, being blamed."
The presumptive Republican nominee's criticism of Netanyahu marks a significant shift from his previous stance as a loyal defender of Israel during his presidency. Trump's relationship with Netanyahu has been strained since January 2020, when, according to Trump, Israel pulled out of a joint operation to kill top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
"That was going to be a joint [attack] and all of a sudden, we were told that Israel was not doing it," Trump told Time. "And I was not happy about that. That was something I never forgot. And it showed me something."
Trump's criticism of Netanyahu comes at a time when colleges across the United States have been rocked by pro-Palestinian protests, some resulting in arrests and suspensions. The former president has condemned these protests, claiming that the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., was "nothing" compared to the ongoing campus demonstrations.
When asked by Time if he thought he could work better with Netanyahu's rival, Benny Gantz, than with Netanyahu himself, Trump responded, "I think Benny Gantz is good, but I'm not prepared to say that. I haven't spoken to him about it. But you have some very good people that I've gotten to know in Israel that could do a good job."
During his administration, Trump had a close relationship with Netanyahu, overseeing the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and brokering the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations. However, the former president has also complained that Netanyahu "let us down" by acknowledging Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
Earlier this month, Trump expressed concern about Israel "losing the PR war" and the harrowing images coming out of the Gaza Strip amid the brutal conflict. His frustrations with Netanyahu are shared by President Biden, 81, who has had a series of tough exchanges with the Israeli leader throughout the Israel-Hamas war, voicing concerns about the lack of aid reaching Palestinians and plans to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah without a robust plan in place for civilians.
Netanyahu vowed Tuesday that Israel would forge ahead into Rafah regardless of whether a deal is reached with Hamas on the release of dozens of hostages held by jihadists since Oct. 7. The Israeli leader's decision has drawn criticism from both Trump and Biden, highlighting the complex and often strained relationships between the United States and Israel during times of conflict.
