'Trump Loves Netanyahu': Israeli Minister Zohar Defies Reports of Rift With Upbeat Assessment
As Trump called Netanyahu "very difficult" and reports emerged of an expletive-filled phone call, Culture Minister Miki Zohar insisted the two leaders' bond "will only grow stronger."
As Donald Trump publicly called Benjamin Netanyahu a "very difficult guy" who "should be very thankful" to Washington, and reports circulated of an expletive-laden phone call in which Trump reportedly screamed at the Israeli prime minister, at least one Israeli official was hearing a different story entirely.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar, speaking Monday on Kan Bet radio, painted a rosy picture of the bilateral relationship.
"The bond between Trump and Netanyahu will only grow stronger," Zohar was quoted as saying by KAN. "More surprises are expected until the elections, and many people will be eating their hats in the coming period. Trump loves Netanyahu and Israel."
The remarks came hours after Trump told the New York Times that Netanyahu is "a very difficult guy" and should be "very thankful" to the United States for the Iran nuclear framework, and a day after an Axios report cited sources saying Trump told Netanyahu on a recent call: "You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now."
Recent tensions have fueled speculation that the bromance between the two leaders is over, with Trump even confirming he called Netanyahu expletives during a tense call over Israel's strikes in Lebanon.
Netanyahu's original plans for the Iran campaign were tied to a very different timetable, and Israel has become deeply entangled in Lebanon while Netanyahu is quarreling with Trump, hearing from him that "everyone hates both him and Israel."
Israeli elections are expected no later than October 27.