Israel must end war in Gaza – Trump

The US Republican presidential candidate is set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday

Former US President Donald Trump has urged Israel to bring about a “fast” end to its war with Hamas, arguing that a drawn-out conflict is a “public relations” nightmare for the Jewish state.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Trump said the war should end quickly “because they are getting decimated with this publicity, and you know Israel is not very good at public relations.”

Trump was a close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his term in the White House, and described himself as “history’s most pro-Israel US president.” He imposed sanctions on Iran at Netanyahu’s request, moved the US Embassy in Israel to West Jerusalem, and brokered the Abraham Accords, which saw Israel normalize relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan.

In the months since Israel declared war on Hamas in October, however, Trump has repeatedly called on Netanyahu to bring the conflict with the Palestinian militant group to a rapid conclusion.

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“You have to finish up your war,” he told the Israel Hayom news outlet back in March. “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.” 

The destruction of civilian homes in Gaza, he said at the time, is “a very bad picture for the world. The world is seeing this… every night, I would watch buildings pour down on people. Go and do what you have to do. But you don’t do that.”

In his interview with Fox, Trump also condemned the Democrats who protested Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, and called for jail sentences for the protesters who burned American flags outside the US Capitol.

Netanyahu is set to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday afternoon, before traveling to Florida to meet with Trump at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Harris did not attend Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday, but will meet with him on Thursday, after his one-on-one talk with Biden.

In a post to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump said he is “looking forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu” to Florida, referring to the Israeli leader by his commonly-used nickname. 

Trump promised a return to “peace and stability” in the Middle East, and in a later post, shared a letter he received from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who wished Trump “strength and safety” after the attempt on his life earlier this month. “Thank you,” Trump replied to Abbas. “Everything will be good.”