Donald Trump raised eyebrows at the G7 summit after making a bold claim about Israel’s survival. The POTUS suggested that both the United States and Israel owe much of their current position to actions he took while in office.
The comments came during a tense moment in international politics, as reports of friction between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continue to grow amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Donald Trump credits himself with Israel’s current existence at the G7 summit
Speaking at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, alongside Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Donald Trump addressed questions about Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the fragile regional situation.
While insisting he still has “a great relationship” with Netanyahu, Trump delivered a statement that quickly grabbed headlines.
“Without the United States, there would be no Israel,” Trump said as per a clip shared by Fox News. “Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did” (via The Hill).
The president then doubled down on the remark, adding that “Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved”
The comments arrive amid reports that Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu’s handling of military operations in Lebanon. According to The Hill, Trump specifically criticized recent Israeli strikes and argued that civilian casualties have become too high.
Referring to one attack, Trump said, “I saw that attack, I saw where that bomb went. That was vicious” before warning that Netanyahu needed to be “more responsible” regarding Lebanon as per Newsweek.
He also questioned the scale of some Israeli operations, saying, “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody because there’s a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah.”
The backdrop to Trump’s remarks is a developing U.S.-Iran agreement that has reportedly caused concern among some Israeli officials. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a top priority, while critics worry the proposed deal could strengthen Tehran’s position in the region.
Whether Trump’s comments signal a temporary disagreement or a deeper rift with Netanyahu remains unclear. But his claim that there would be “no Israel” without him is certain to spark debate far beyond the G7 summit.
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