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Trump: ‘You can’t blame Israel for hitting back hard’

Former President Donald Trump defends Israel’s response to October 7th invasion, blames Biden administration’s Iran policy for the attacks.

By World Israel News Staff

Former President Donald Trump defended Israel’s military response to the Hamas invasion of October 7th, while reiterating his claim that the attacks would not have occurred had he been in office in 2023.

Speaking with the Dubai-based Al Arabiya outlet on Sunday, Trump lamented casualties and collateral damage in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, while blaming the October 7th invasion of Israel on the Biden administration’s policies vis-à-vis Iran, which the former president claimed encouraged Iran and its proxies to attack Israel.

“If I were president, that war would have never started,” Trump said. “You wouldn’t have all those dead people, all those demolished cities and areas. You wouldn’t have had October 7th, that’s the most important.”

Trump cited sanctions waivers provided by the Biden administration to Iran.

“If October 7th wouldn’t happen, which it wouldn’t have, because Iran funds it, and Iran had no money. They had no money. They had absolutely no money. And I would have made a deal with them, and they wouldn’t have done October 7th. But because they have no respect for Biden, they did it.”

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“They had no money, and Biden allowed them to have $300 billion.”

Israel, Trump continued, was justified in its response to the October 7th atrocities, saying the Jewish state “hit back hard.”

“You can’t blame Israel for hitting back and they hit back hard. Much harder than anybody would have thought.”

Touting his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he would, if elected, be able to bring peace to the region and expand the Abraham Accords.

“I want to see it all stop, I want to see the Middle East get back to peace – a real peace, a peace that is going to be a lasting peace,” Trump said. “It’s gonna happen and it’s gonna happen soon.”

“[Netanyahu] does listen to me,” Trump continued, noting his upcoming telephone conversation with the Israeli leader scheduled for Monday.

Trump warned Israel not to adhere to Biden’s calls to refrain from making a substantial retaliatory attack on Iran in response to its massive October 1st ballistic missile attack.

“He is going to do what he wants to do and I think [Netanyahu] has to do that.”

“Biden has been historically horrible in foreign policy, incompetent.”

“Whatever he says, do the opposite, and you’ll be brilliant. But [Biden] gave [Netanyahu] instructions not to do anything, and Israel is under great danger – they’re under much less danger than they were a month ago.”