Trump claims he saved Israel from destruction, curses Netanyahu

“Had I not come along, I think Israel was going to be destroyed,” former president Trump said in an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid. 

By World Israel News Staff

In a recent interview given to the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, former U.S. president Donald Trump has heavily criticized former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden after winning the elections.

“The first person who congratulated Joe Biden … was Bibi Netanyahu,” the former president told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid. “And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape. And it was on tape.”

Referring to Netanyahu by his nickname, Trump said that “Bibi could have stayed quiet,” adding that “nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi. “But I also like loyalty.”

Trump said that his wife Melania was the first one who saw Netanyahu’s video and told him about it. “She said, wow, look at this.” he recalled.

Trump expressed frustration over the fact that the former Israeli prime minister, whom he considered one of his closest allies, had congratulated Biden while other world leaders like Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate Biden right away because “they felt the election was rigged.”

Netanyahu’s message to Biden was “early, okay? Let’s use this. He was very early. Like earlier than most. I haven’t spoken to him since. F**k him,” he said.

Mentioning the Golan Heights and his decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan, Trump said that he played a major role in helping Netanyahu politically.

“Take the Golan for example … That was a big deal,” he said. “People say that was a $10 billion gift. I did it right before the election, which helped him a lot… he would have lost the election if it wasn’t for me. So he tied. He went up a lot after I did it. He went up 10 points or 15 points after I [recognized the] Golan Heights.”

Trump said he was “personally disappointed” in Netanyahu. “To do a tape to Joe Biden talking about their great, great friendship … “They didn’t have a friendship, because if they did, they wouldn’t have done the Iran deal. And guess what? Now they’re going to do it again. And if they do it again, Israel is in very grave danger,” he argued.

Addressing his decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Trump said: “The decision to back out of the deal was because of my relations with Israel – not with Bibi. Those were my feelings towards Israel.”

“I’ll tell you what,” he continued. “Had I not come along, I think Israel was going to be destroyed…You want to know the truth? I think Israel would have been destroyed, maybe by now.” the former president concluded.