UMVA has learned that a tense exchange took place between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu during a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, over Israel's continued hostilities amid peace negotiations.
The President expressed his disapproval of Israel's actions, specifically citing the recent attacks on Lebanon's capital, Beirut. "It can, and I consider that the minor war. Iran's a big one, but we have that little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head, and that's Hezbollah," Trump said, before criticizing Israel for "fighting Hezbollah too long" and causing indiscriminate harm to civilians.
Trump's tone turned stern as he suggested that Israel should let Syria handle Hezbollah, implying that they would do a better job. "Israel's fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed, and you don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you," he stated.
The President also condemned Israel's latest attack in Beirut, which occurred just as the US and Iran were nearing a deal. "I didn't like where two hours before we're signing the agreement that there was an attack in Lebanon, in Beirut. It wasn't like in the southern side, and you know, it was in Beirut. I did not like that. I let him know that I didn't like it, not at all," Trump revealed.
When questioned about his relationship with Netanyahu, Trump maintained that they have a "great relationship," but again referenced the Beirut attack. "I saw that attack, I saw where that bomb went. Did you see what happened? That was not, that was a vicious, that was too much, you know? You can do too much also," he said, adding that "Without the United States, there would be no Israel."
Trump went on to criticize his predecessor, Obama, for the JCPOA, implying that Israel's existence is dependent on his own actions. "If it weren't for the United States of America with me, because Obama was the opposite, Israel would not exist right now. Israel would have been blown off the face of the earth, 100%, and every smart person in Israel knows that."
In a private conversation, Trump expressed his frustration with Netanyahu, using strong language to describe his disapproval of the Israeli Prime Minister's actions. "Why did Bibi have to do a f*cking attack? I was so pissed off. I let him know. He has no f*cking judgment. I let him know that," Trump said.
