WASHINGTON — Republicans are divided over the U.S. response to the terror attacks in Israel, both in their presidential primary ranks and over President Joe Biden’s response.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis continues to hit out at former President Donald Trump, a rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, over derogatory comments Trump made Wednesday night about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and praise for Hezbollah. a group based in Lebanon that has been designated by the US as a terrorist organization, as “highly intelligent”.
Speaking at an event in Miami, Trump said Israel backed out of the 2020 mission that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani at the last minute.
“I will never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,” Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “It was a very terrible thing.”
De Sandis and several other Republican candidates have been sharply critical of Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination and a longtime favorite of Israel hawks, since he made his remarks.
“Going out and just taking potshots at Netanyahu, and in a time of war right now, I don’t see where that’s very productive,” DeSantis said Friday at a New Hampshire town hall.
“Obviously we see with Netanyahu’s comments, this is all for Netanyahu … to send a congratulatory tweet to Biden in November 2020,” he added. “That’s why he’s attacking him, because that really bothered him.”
DeSantis’ comments came after NBC News reported that a Trump adviser pointed to the tweet as a source of displeasure with the former president.
“He’s outraged because Bibi praised Biden and the White House for their support,” the former Trump adviser said.
Republican infighting, combined with pockets of GOP approval over Biden’s handling of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, suggest that the domestic political turf has shifted as a result of the evolving situation in the Middle East. What remains to be seen is how big the change is and whether it will last.
It’s also not yet clear whether Trump’s comments will hurt him at all in the Republican primaries he has dominated, especially given the ties he forged with conservatives by moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, negotiating the Abraham peace accords and giving full support to Israel during his term as president. But Trump and his campaign have been engaged in a public clean-up operation since Wednesday night.
“I have always been impressed by the skill and determination of the Israeli Defense Forces,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth on Friday. “As they defend their Nation against ruthless terrorists, I want to wish every soldier the best of luck. May you return home safely to your families and God bless you all!”
His campaign also released a detailed list of actions he took as president to support Israel.
And on Friday afternoon, Trump posted a message of solidarity with Israel and Netanyahu on social media:#ISTandWithIsrael #ISTandWithBibi.”
Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, declined to judge Trump’s comments about Hezbollah and Netanyahu. But he noted that Trump will soon have a chance to air his views at the group’s annual event.
“We look forward to hearing his comments when he speaks at the RJC summit in Vegas in two weeks,” Brooks said.
Dara Price, a Trump supporter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, gave Trump a pass for his comments, calling Hezbollah “smart.”
“It is what it is,” Price said. “You have to be kind of smart tactical about what they did. It’s not like we’re applauding them.”
Vicki Scott, a Trump supporter in Des Moines, Iowa, was also fine with Trump criticizing Netanyahu.
“If he feels like somebody’s not being honest, honest, all the right things, he’s going to call them out… That’s why I like him,” Scott said.
But as Trump heads toward a possible rematch with Biden, some Republicans are praising the Democratic president’s response to the terror attack. That’s a change from recent history, when Republicans have been nearly unanimous in their criticism of Democrats’ rhetoric and policies on Israel — which they’ve described as overly vulgar.
“Overall I thought he had the right tone, the right message,” Will Rogers, former chairman of the Iowa Polk County Republican Party, said of Biden’s comments this week in favor of Israel’s right to self-defense and counterattack. . “He made sure people understood that there is no daylight between Israel and the United States about what is going on.”
Rogers added that he has taken issue with the Biden administration’s treatment of Netanyahu and its handling of Israel-related issues in the past.
“But since last Saturday, I’ve seen the axis of the administration, at least in terms of the rhetoric and what I think is going on behind the scenes,” he said. “That’s as reassuring as I’m going to get.”
David Friedman, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Israel, took to X, the platform once known as Twitter, to show gratitude to Biden on Thursday.
“While I have been and remain deeply critical of the Biden administration, the moral, tactical, diplomatic and military support it has provided to Israel in recent days has been extraordinary,” Friedman said. “As someone who lives in Jerusalem with children who are Israeli citizens, I am deeply grateful. I pray that American support continues in the difficult days ahead.”
Democrats say they believe Trump’s response compared to Biden will make the choice clear to voters in November.
“It underscores that elections are choices,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass. “And the choice the American people may face next November is between an experienced, respected foreign policy leader and one who puts admonition and personal grievance above the national interest.”
Jeremy Berger, an independent who supports Republican nominee Nikki Haley, said in an interview in Concord, New Hampshire, that he was pleased with Biden’s approach.
“I’ve been very impressed with Biden,” Berger said, pointing specifically to the deployment of US ships and aircraft in the Middle East. “You know, and I really don’t want to see American boots on the ground if we can avoid it. But at the same time, having Israel’s back and being so strong, and being there, I think it sends a message to the world. And I think it really helps.”
But their sentiments are not universal within the Republican Party or among voters considering Republican candidates. GOP candidates have vehemently accused Biden of actions they say contributed to the attacks and avoided any endorsement. Specifically, they say Biden’s since-reversed decision to unfreeze $6 billion in hostage-exchange funds allowed Tehran more freedom to fund proxies. (Administration officials said Iran never had access to any of the money.)
While no direct link has been established between Iran and Saturday’s massacre, Tehran has long provided aid to proxies such as Hamas.
“While he gave a great speech two days ago, I think overall his response was horrible,” State Rep. Randy Fine, the only Jewish Republican in the Florida Legislature, said of Biden. “This is his fault.”
Fine pointed specifically to the initial release of Iranian funds and the Biden administration’s calls for a similar response from Israel.
Although he has supported DeSantis in the presidential primary, Fine took over the Florida governorship to go after Trump.
“Governor DeSantis should train his guns on the person who is to blame for this, which is Joe Biden,” he said. “I would not shoot Trump, because Trump is the most popular pro-Israel president in our history … I would shoot the man whose record is despicable, not the man whose record on Israel cannot be attacked. it’s Trump.”