In US interview, Ben Gvir says Trump election victory would be better for Israel

24 July 2024, 2:59 pm 8 Edit

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a conference called "Israel's return to the Temple Mount," at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on July 24, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he would prefer if GOP candidate Donald Trump wins the 2024 US presidential election, claiming it would be better for Israel.

“I believe that with Trump, Israel will receive the backing to act against Iran,” Ben Gvir tells Bloomberg. “With Trump it will be clearer that enemies must be defeated.”

“The US has always stood behind Israel in terms of armaments and weapons, yet this time the sense was that we were being reckoned with — that we were trying to be prevented from winning,” Ben Gvir says. “That happened on Biden’s watch and fed Hamas with lots of energy.”

The comments are published just hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to address US Congress and the day before the premier was expected to meet US President Joe Biden before flying to Florida to meet Trump.

Ben Gvir acknowledges that his endorsement of Trump could be seen unfavorably by his colleagues.

“A cabinet minister is supposed to maintain neutrality, but that’s impossible to do after Biden,” he says