JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed speculation of a falling out with the US administration following a visit to the Gulf by US President Donald Trump that left out Israel.
Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates hauled in a series of big ticket busi-ness deals but fuelled widespread media commentary pointing out that Israel, Washington’s closest ally in the region, had not been included.
The visit followed Trump’s decision to end a US bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen even as the Iranian-backed group continued to fire missiles at Israel and to seek nuclear talks with Iran.
Netanyahu, who had previously made no public comment on the issue, told reporters at a news con-ference on Wednesday that he had spoken to Trump around 10 days ago and the president had told him: “’Bibi I want you to know, I have a complete commitment to you and I have a complete commit-ment to the state of Israel.’”
Amid growing international pressure on Israel, Trump has urged a quick end to the war in Gaza and spoken of the suffering of civilians in the besieged enclave, where an 11-week Israeli aid blockade has created a deep humanitarian crisis.
In a separate conversation a few days ago, Netanyahu said US Vice President JD Vance had told him: “’Don’t pay attention to all these fake news stories about this rupture between us’”.
Earlier, Jenin, Palestinian Territories: Several nations that have backed Israel voiced outrage after Is-raeli troops fired what they called “warning shots” as foreign diplomats visited the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority accused troops of “deliberately” shooting at the delegation near the flash-point city of Jenin. The Israeli military, already under pressure over its tactics in the Gaza war, said it regretted the “inconvenience”. Media footage from Jenin — a frequent target of Israeli military raids — showed the delegation and accompanying journalists running for cover as shots were heard.
A European diplomat said the envoys went to the area to see the destruction caused by Israeli military raids since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. –Agencies
