President Donald Trump said Monday evening that Israel would not survive without the United States and that Israelis are not sufficiently grateful, according to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth. The remark extends a pattern of Trump statements asserting personal and American credit for Israel's security.
President Donald Trump said Monday evening that Israel would not survive without the United States and that Israelis are not sufficiently grateful, according to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth.
"Israel wouldn't survive without us," Trump said. "I think they don't thank us enough."
The remark is the latest in a series of Trump statements asserting personal and American credit for Israel's security. Over the past several weeks, Trump has told the G7 summit that "without me there would be no Israel," told Axios that Israel would be "completely crushed" without him, and told Fox News that Israel would have been destroyed without him while calling Netanyahu an "amazing" wartime leader.
The comments come against the backdrop of reported progress toward the 'Islamabad Agreement' between the U.S. and Iran, a diplomatic framework that has generated friction between Washington and Jerusalem. Trump has previously criticized Israeli military operations, including strikes in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, saying they nearly caused the deal to collapse. He has also warned Netanyahu to be "very careful" regarding further strikes on Tehran, while later pledging that the U.S. would "unequivocally" defend Israel if it strikes Iran.
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