President Trump told Prime Minister Netanyahu that “all the Jews are sick of you” in an explosive phone call, according to a new book about the first year of the second Trump administration.
In Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan allege that the two leaders had a bitter row in September last year amid attempts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to their write-up of the call, Trump took the call accompanied by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, both of whom are Jewish and were involved in the ceasefire negotiations.
"Everybody’s sick of you, Bibi. All the Jews are sick of you. Even the two Jews on this call are sick of you,” he is reported to have told Netanyahu.
He also allegedly told the Israeli premier not to “back out” of Washington’s proposed truce, adding: “I’m the best friend Israel ever had.
"Everybody hates you, and I’ve stood by you.”
The call is said to have occurred during the UN General Assembly, at which member states backed the White House’s 20-point peace plan.
This would place it just weeks after Israel struck the Qatari capital Doha, targeting a gathering of Hamas leaders.
Trump was widely reported at the time to be displeased with the strike, especially given his administration’s close relationship with the Qataris, though it is not clear whether this played a factor in the reported argument.
It comes after US news site Axios reported that a similar row occurred during a more recent call between the two men, with Trump said to call Netanyahu “f***ing crazy".
Citing “two US officials and a third source briefed on the call,” the site reported that Trump took Netanyahu to task over recent escalations in the war against Hezbollah, which have included the IDF seizing territory beyond the Litani River and a threat to strike the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
"You're f****** crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass,” the president reportedly said.
“Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
Another source told the outlet that the president was “pissed” with his Israeli counterpart and yelled at him: “What the f*** are you doing?”
But Israeli journalist Amit Segal, citing a source in Netanyahu’s team, reported: “Trump did not make personal remarks about jail or claim Netanyahu is hated globally.
“Instead, the tense call focused on conflicting social media posts: Trump felt Netanyahu implied the war was continuing at full intensity, while Netanyahu felt Trump implied a total ceasefire.
"Trump did note that defending Israel’s global position is difficult and breeds hatred. Ultimately, the call ended with an understanding: Israel will hold off on striking Beirut as long as it is not attacked within its own borders.”
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