Israeli minister calls Biden ‘harmful to Israel,’ endorses Trump

‘The U.S. is not projecting strength under [Biden’s] leadership, and it’s harming Israel and other countries.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli criticized President Joe Biden and said he was “harming Israel” by “not projecting strength,” adding that if he were a U.S. citizen he would vote for Donald Trump in this November’s election.

Chikli, who is a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, told Kan Radio Wednesday that in his opinion, “The U.S. is not projecting strength under [Biden’s] leadership, and it’s harming Israel and other countries.”

Chikli added, “He said ‘Don’t’ at the start of the war — to Hezbollah, as well as Iran. We saw the result.”

The minister was referring to the frequent strikes launched by Hezbollah against northern Israel communities which began immediately following October 7th as well as Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel in mid-April.

Chikli said, “If I were an American citizen with the right to vote, I’d vote for Trump and Republicans.”

When asked about Biden’s support for Israel at the beginning of the war, Chikli explained his remarks and said, “Biden is a friend of Israel, but he’s under intense pressure that is affecting him and creating real damage to relations between the countries.”

Chikli received criticism concerning the timing of his remarks, which took place shortly after the US Senate has approved a sizeable aid package benefiting Israel.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X that Israel has a “government of complete stupidity.”

“This is what comes hours after the Senate approved $13 billion in security assistance and a few hours before President Biden is supposed to sign it,” he continued.

After passing both the House and the Senate, President Biden is poised to sign a bill that would give Israel $13 billion in military aid, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, and $2.4 billion for US military activities in the Middle East.

However, at the same time that the U.S. is passing an aid bill for Israel, it is taking the unprecedented step of sanctioning an IDF orthodox unit, Netzah Yehuda, over the death of an 80-year-old Palestinian-American man while he was detained.

Netanyahu called the decision to withhold military aid for Netzah Yehuda, which operates in anti-terrorism missions mainly in Judea and Samaria, “a new moral low.”