US official denies threat to ‘abandon’ Israel if it doesn’t end war in Gaza

A US official denies a Washington Post report citing an unnamed source who claimed the Trump administration would abandon Israel if it kept the war going in Gaza.

The US official says that there may be disagreements, but “the idea that we would abandon Israel is preposterous.”

The newspaper quotes an anonymous individual “familiar with the discussions,” who says Trump’s representatives have informed Israel that Washington will “abandon” the country if it does not end the war.

“Trump’s people are letting Israel know, ‘We will abandon you if you do not end this war,'” the source is quoted as saying. “Politically, as in the past, Netanyahu has a way to do that, with a huge majority in the Knesset and in Israel, but he does not have the political will.”

Netanyahu holds a narrow 67-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset, with several of the parties in his coalition routinely threatening to pull out.