Trump comment scares conservatives who fear he's about to turn on their cause: report
Former President Donald Trump has said very little publicly about the Israel-Hamas War, and the little he has said — calling on Israel to "finish up your war" — could be interpreted a number of ways, either escalating or de-escalating hostilities in Gaza.
But some pro-Israel conservatives, including some in Israel, are concerned that Trump might be signaling his support for their cause is wavering, the New York Times reported Monday.
"There is no getting around the division between Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans, who seem to be competing to see who can more ostentatiously demonstrate support for Mr. Netanyahu’s government. They are flying to Israel to meet with Mr. Netanyahu, planning to invite him to address Congress and generally urging Israel to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to annihilate Hamas," reported Jonathan Swan.
"In contrast, Mr. Trump’s hedging commentary to Israel Hayom is only the latest in a long line of public statements he has made to undercut Mr. Netanyahu, whom he has still not forgiven for congratulating Mr. Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. In 2021, Mr. Trump told the Axios journalist Barak Ravid that he had concluded that Mr. Netanyahu 'never wanted peace' with the Palestinians."
For his part, Trump did previously say he was committed to Israel in the war, and his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, rejected any interpretation Trump is urging withdrawal from Gaza, saying he “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself and eliminate the terrorist threat.”
But some Israelis are not convinced, according to the report.
Right-wing settler Ariel Kahana reportedly said “Both U.S. presidential candidates, Biden and Trump, are turning their rhetorical backs on Israel," according to the Times report.
When Trump was previously in office, his administration brokered a series of deals with Arab states known as the Abraham Accords, effectively settling various other diplomatic disputes in their favor in return for recognizing the Israeli state despite the lack of resolution on Palestinian status — something many Arab countries had vowed never to do for decades.