 "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem. Reuters")
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not fly down to the US to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. The report comes hours after the US President-elect shared an inflammatory video using crude words for Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s senior aide told the Times of Israel that Netanyahu is unlikely to attend Trump’s inauguration day in the coming weeks, a plan that was set earlier.
Trump will formally take over as the 47th US President on January 20, an event that is expected to be flamboyant. The ceremony will be attended by several international leaders including the President of Argentina Javier Milei, former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
What did the video say?
Relations between Netanyahu and Trump have hit a snag after the Republican leader shared a video on his social media platform TruthSocial featuring economist Jeffrey Sachs accusing Netanyahu of manipulating the US foreign policy and orchestrating an “endless war” in Gaza and the Middle East.
In the clip, Trump can be heard calling Netanyahu a “deep, dark son of a bitch”. The video came at a crucial time when intensive diplomatic efforts are underway by Egypt, Qatar and the current US administration to broker a truce deal between Israel and Hamas that would include hostage releases.
Trump vows to bring back hostages
However, Trump wants to help the Israeli prime minister to bring back Israeli hostages who have been held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Last year in December, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity.”
Trump and Netanyahu’s turbulent ties
The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has been a turbulent one and has often been described as transactional. During Trump’s first bid to the White House, he delivered significant diplomatic wins for Netanyahu, including recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019 and supporting the Abraham Accords with Gulf states.
In the recent past, the president-elect also hosted the Israeli premier at Mar-a-Lago during his US trip. However, in 2020, Trump blasted Netanyahu for congratulating the current US President Joe Biden for winning the elections. At that time Trump told Axios: “I haven’t spoken to [the Israeli leader] since. F**k him.”