Israeli and British leaders react to Trump victory
Netanyahu jubilant about Republican's return to White House
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Benjamin Netanyahu was among the first international politicians to offer congratulations to Donald Trump, who will once again become president of the United States.
In a surprisingly personal statement addressed to Trump and his wife Melania, Netanyahu and his wife Sara wished the American leader “congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” In what he described as Trump’s “historic return to the White House”, the Israeli leader said the victory offered “a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israeli and America”.
Two far-right members of the Israeli government also welcomed Trump’s win — Itamar Ben-Gvir, the National Security Minister, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. And leaders of the settler movement, mindful that outgoing president Joe Biden had imposed sanctions and financial freezes on several of their members, said that in Trump, they expected “an ally standing unconditionally beside us as we fight the battles that are a war on the entire West.”
But a Hamas leader was less enthusiastic. Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Trump would be tested on his statements that he could stop the war within hours once he became US president. Abu Zuhri said: “We urge Trump to learn from Biden’s mistakes.”
In Britain, there was predictable division both across the political spectrum and internally. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, offered his congratulations to Trump, saying that “As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.”
He added: “From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has made no secret of his distaste for Trump, issued a statement saying Londoners would be “anxious about the outcome”, and reflected on the lesson that the victory showed that “progress is not inevitable”. Nevertheless, he said, “asserting our progressive values is more important than ever — re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.”
Newly elected Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch scolded British Foreign Secretary David Lammy for his previous description of Trump as “a neo-Nazi sociopath”, saying he should apologise. But commentators said that Lammy had spent time building bridges with those thought likely to be in Trump’s new administration, and he himself said that Britain “had no greater friend than the US”, and that the UK “looked forward to working with” Trump and his running-mate, JD Vance.
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