Israel’s nationwide safety minister says he met with ‘senior Republican Occasion’ officers at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.
Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has claimed that prime US Republican lawmakers assist bombing “meals and assist depots” in Gaza.
The assertion, made in a social media submit on Wednesday, got here after the Israeli nationwide safety minister mentioned he had met with “senior Republican Occasion officers at [US President Donald] Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property” in Florida in the US.
“They expressed assist for my very clear place on find out how to act in Gaza and that the meals and assist depots must be bombed with a view to create navy and political stress to deliver our hostages house safely,” Ben-Gvir posted on X in Hebrew.
The US president was not on the occasion, in line with his public schedule.
Ben-Gvir’s submit didn’t specify which Republicans have been in attendance. Nonetheless, Ben-Gvir’s workplace informed Israeli media that Republican Congressman Tom Emmer, thought of to be the third-highest-ranking member of the US Home of Representatives, was among the many lawmakers current.
The Instances of Israel and the Jewish Information Syndicate have been among the many information retailers that cited Ben-Gvir’s workplace in reporting Emmer’s presence, which additionally seemed to be confirmed by video of the occasion.
The congressman has been one of many main voices within the US Congress supporting Israel amid the warfare in Gaza, and has frequently mentioned that Hamas, and never Israel, was accountable for the excessive price of civilian deaths within the Palestinian enclave.
A spokesman for Emmer didn’t reply to a request for remark from Al Jazeera relating to the Mar-a-Lago go to and whether or not the congressman supported Ben-Gvir’s place on attacking meals and assist websites.
So far, the Well being Ministry in Gaza has mentioned at the very least 51,300 Palestinians have been killed because the warfare started within the wake of the October 7 assault by Hamas on southern Israel, throughout which at the very least 1,139 individuals have been killed.
Israeli assaults, assist block proceed
Ben-Gvir has been one of many main voices in Israel calling for the escalation of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
A resident of an unlawful Israeli settlement within the occupied West Financial institution, he has known as for the resettlement of Gaza and glowingly endorsed Trump’s plan to forcibly displace residents of the Palestinian enclave.
He initially resigned from the federal government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January, in opposition to a short lived ceasefire deal.
Earlier than rejoining the federal government in March, he known as for Israel to chop off electrical energy and water and to bomb assist depots in Gaza as a six-week pause in combating reached its finish.
Israeli assaults have continued after navy operations resumed on March 18, with 1,928 Palestinians killed since then.
Whereas Trump had vowed to finish the warfare upon taking workplace, a long-lasting ceasefire settlement has remained elusive.
In the meantime, France, Germany and the UK condemned on Wednesday the continuing Israeli blocking of assist, meals and medication coming into Gaza.
They known as the actions “insupportable”.
