BBC: [2] Former US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on his once-close ally, ex-Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of disloyalty.
[3] Mr Trump said he was furious at Mr Netanyahu for the way he congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory, using an expletive towards him.He also said he believed he saved Israel from destruction.Mr Trump made the comments in interviews for a book about his role in Middle East peace-making.[4]The US administration under Mr Trump, from 2017-2021, is considered the most favourable towards Israel in the two countries’ history.
Mr Netanyahu served as Israeli prime minister while Mr Trump was in office, and the two men were portrayed as having particularly warm personal relations, often publicly praising one another.
Speaking to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid for his book Trump’s peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East, Mr Trump accused Mr Netanyahu of congratulating too quickly Mr Trump’s successor Joe Biden on winning the 2020 US election.
Mr Trump disputed the election result, though his claims were never upheld.
“The first person who congratulated [Joe Biden] was Bibi [Benjamin] Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with… Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake.
“He was very early,” Mr Trump said. “Like earlier than most. I haven’t spoken to him since. [Expletive] him.
In actual fact, Mr Netanyahu was not the first foreign leader to congratulate Mr Biden. He also tweeted his gratitude towards Mr Trump minutes later.