Trump: Israel Does ‘Good Job’ Of Protecting Itself From Syria — With U.S. Aid
Image by getty images
(JTA) — Israel does a fine job of defending itself thanks to aid from the United States, and will be “good” after U.S. troops leave Syria, President Trump said.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I told Bibi, you know we give Israel 4.5 billion dollars a year. And they are doing very well at defending themselves,” Trump told reporters Wednesday after a surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq.
“I’m the one that moved the embassy to Jerusalem. I was the one who was willing to do that. So that’s the way it is – we are going to take great care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. We give Israel 4.5 billion a year. And we give frankly a lot more than that if you look at the books. They’ve been doing a good job,” he also said.
Trump launched a full and accelerated pullout of the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria last week, confirming the news in a tweet in which he wrote: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”
The pullout leaves an opportunity for Iran to exert more influence over a Syrian regime locked in a civil war, and to take up a position on Israel’s northern border.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
