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4 months ago
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Former President Trump claimed Friday that conflicts in the Middle East could escalate into a third World War if he loses the 2024 election.
The Republican nominee for president made those remarks as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort home. Netanyahu traveled to Florida to meet with Trump after meeting with President Biden and the presumptive Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, in Washington, D.C., earlier this week, following his address Wednesday to a joint session of Congress.
At Mar-a-Lago, Trump told reporters Harris is "worse" on Middle East issues and claimed Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza could expand into a wider regional conflict if she succeeds Biden, who announced Sunday he would not seek re-election.
"We'll see how it goes. But if it all works out, if we win, it'll be very simple. It's all going to work out. And very quickly," Trump said. "If we don't, you're going to end up with major wars in the Middle East. And maybe a third World War. You are closer to a third World War right now than at any time since the Second World War. We've never been so close because we have incompetent people running the country."
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Trump's remarks come amid a reported diplomatic flare-up between Harris and Netanyahu, which occurred after their meeting Thursday.
In comments after the meeting, Harris said she told the Israeli prime minister she "will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah."
"I also expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there," she added, calling for an end to the war and the release of all hostages held in Hamas captivity.
Harris' criticisms of Israel's conduct in the Gaza war reportedly irked Netanyahu, according to Axios. The prime minister has repeatedly said fighting must continue until Hamas is eliminated, even if hostages are released.
When asked about Harris' comments Friday, Netanyahu told reporters Israel still hopes for a cease-fire deal.
NETANYAHU SEEMS TO CONTRADICT BIDEN CEASE-FIRE OFFER: 'NONSTARTER' IF ALL CONDITIONS NOT MET
"We're trying to get one. And I think, to the extent that Hamas understands that there's no daylight between Israel and the United States, that expedites the deal. And I hope that those comments don't change that," Netanyahu said.
The Mar-a-Lago meeting is the first face-to-face contact Netanyahu has had with Trump since the Republican nominee left the White House in 2020. Their relationship became strained when Netanyahu congratulated President-elect Biden on his victory that year, which prompted Trump to call out the Israeli leader.
"I haven't spoken to him since," Trump told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that year. "F--- him."
Netanyahu is now making an effort to make amends and secure Trump's support for Israel in the war against Gaza should the Republican candidate return to the White House after the November election.
In Trump's home, the Israeli leader presented the former president with a photo of one of the Bibas toddlers, children still held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Netanyahu said the picture was given to him by the toddlers' grandfather, who asked him to share it with Trump.
"Wow, that's very moving," Trump said, accepting the photograph. "We'll get that taken care of."
Earlier, protesters gathered in West Palm Beach, Florida, to greet Netanyahu as his plane landed. The prime minister's visit to the nation's capital this week also sparked demonstrations that featured antisemitic slogans, calls for Israel's eradication, vandalism and heated confrontations with D.C. police.
In his address to Congress, Netanyahu accused Iran of funding the protests and tore into the demonstrators, who have demanded an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
"I have a message for these protesters. When the tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran's useful idiots," Netanyahu said Wednesday.
"Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming gays for Gaza. They might as well hold up signs saying ‘Chickens for KFC.’ These protesters chant ‘From the river to the sea.’ But many don't have a clue what river and what sea they're talking about."
The war in Gaza has raged since Hamas' slaughter of nearly 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans, in southern Israel Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas continues to hold more than 100 hostages in Gaza, including eight Americans.
Fox News Digital's Benjamin Weinthal and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
