Jerusalem [Israel], October 13: Israel and the White House on Thursday condemned remarks by Donald Trump in which he praised the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over an attack by Palestinian Hamas militants that killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.
Trump, a former Republican president who is the frontrunner to become the party's 2024 presidential nominee, called the Lebanese Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel, "very smart" and accused Netanyahu of being "not prepared" for the Hamas attack, which also killed 22 Americans.
Israeli Communications Minister ShlomoKarhi said Trump's comments to supporters and in a television interview on Wednesday night showed he could not be relied on.
It is "shameful that a man like that, a former U.S. president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel's fighters and its citizens," Karhi told Israel's Channel 13.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates called Trump's comments "dangerous and unhinged."
Democratic President Joe Biden has condemned the Hamas attack as "an act of sheer evil" and declared his unwavering support for Israel.
Several of Trump's opponents in the Republican contest also criticized the former president.
Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, another 2024 rival, said in New Hampshire: "This is no time for any former president or any other American leader to be sending any message other than America stands with Israel."
Asa Hutchinson, a former Arkansas governor and a Republican 2024 candidate, said on X that Trump was "out of his mind if he thinks that any candidate for President of the United States should praise the terrorists attacking one of our most important allies."
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
