By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is the Republican presidential candidate, said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “like two days ago.”
Trump was asked when last he spoke to the Israeli leader during a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday.
“Like two days ago and he came to my house in Florida, Mar-a-Lago with his wife who was lovely,” he responded.
Trump met with Netanyahu at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in July. It was their first meeting since the end of Trump’s presidency.
U.S. President Joe Biden also spoke with Netanyahu last week amid tensions with Iran. Their Wednesday call was the first known conversation between the two leaders since August. It coincided with a sharp escalation of Israel’s conflict with Iran and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah.
Trump called the lack of conversation between Biden and Netanyahu in nearly two months “pathetic.”
“I can tell you that Bibi has been very strong,” Trump said. “He’s not listening to Biden.”
Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been tense, strained over the Israeli leader’s handling of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah. Israel has said it will pursue its military operations until Israelis are safe.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Andrea Ricci)
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