A Wall Street Journal claim that President Trump is frustrated with Prime Minister Netanyahu over Hamas strategy was swiftly rejected by Israel as “fake news,” reaffirming the leaders’ strong alliance.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has grown “frustrated” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, allegedly venting to aides that Netanyahu favors crushing Hamas through military force instead of a negotiated deal.
Citing unnamed officials, WSJ claimed Trump even complained, “He’s f—ing me,” about Netanyahu.
But Israeli officials forcefully rejected the report, calling it “fake news.” A senior official told WSJ that the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu remains excellent, stressing that cooperation between the U.S. and Israel is as strong as ever.
The White House declined comment, though earlier this week Trump did issue public remarks urging caution in dealing with Hamas and Qatar:
“They have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States. A lot of people don’t know that… When we attack people, we have to be careful.”
Israel, for its part, continues to emphasize that defeating Hamas militarily is the only realistic path forward, as negotiations alone cannot dismantle the terror group responsible for the October 7, 2023 massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis.
Despite media attempts to play up friction, Israeli analysts note that Trump has consistently supported Israel’s right to defend itself and that disagreements on tactics do not change the deep U.S.-Israel alliance.
