Netanyahu bashes Trump's dinner with Ye, Fuentes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Dec 2022 00:06

Netanyahu says that what Trump did was not merely unacceptable, it was wrong and he should condemn it.

Former US President Donald Trump (L) and Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu in Al-Quds, May 2017 (Reuters).

Israeli PM-designate Benjamin Netanyahu calls out US President Donald Trump after the latter had dinner with the American rapper Ye (Kanye West) and allegedly political commentator and streamer Nick Fuentes.

The dinner reportedly took place late last November in Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, where Ye and an anonymous guest were present.

Several media reports claimed that the dinner included both Ye and Fuentes, while others denied that Fuentes, who is considered to be a white supremacist neo nazi, attended.

This comes in light of recent accusations held against the rapper over racist and anti-semitic remarks, which caused him to lose deals with Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap, Footlocker, and other brands.

Netanyahu responded to a question by an NBC News anchor whether his view on Trump changed after the dinner reports by praising the former US president for doing "great things for Israel" and that he "remains appreciative" of them.

However, Netanyahu added that "on this matter, on Kanye West and that other unacceptable guest, I think it's not merely unacceptable, it's just wrong. And I hope he sees his way to staying out of it and condemning it."

During an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his platform Infowars earlier this week, Ye, wearing a black mask completely covering his face, said he likes Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany whose regime cost the lives of millions.

"I like Hitler," Ye told Jonse. "I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis."

Even though West hid his face, there seemed no doubt it was him.

Ye further said he did not like the adjective “evil” to refer to Nazis, stressing that every human being has something of value, "especially Hitler".

Fuentes, on his part, is reputed for his provocative racist, misogynistic, and fascist opinions.

In 2020, he founded a white nationalist organization called America First Foundation.

He has frequently been called a white supremacist by the US Department of Justice and has been banned from multiple social media platforms.

It's noteworthy that in an interview for Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth in December 2021, former US President Donald Trump waged a full-on verbal attack on former ally and friend Israeli ex-PM Benjamin Netanyahu, describing him as disloyal for congratulating Biden immediately despite the Republican candidate still contesting results at the time.

“Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi," Trump said, referring to Netanyahu. "But I also like loyalty. The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape. And it was on tape."