‘Netanyahu is the leader of his country, not ours,’ groups say in response to bombshell Trump comments in speech given to Republican Jewish Coalition

Haaretz

Two leading Jewish American groups denounced President Donald Trump this weekend for calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “Your prime minister” in front of a Jewish – not Israeli – audience. Trump made the comment during a speech on Saturday before the Republican Jewish Coalition, during which he also attacked the Democratic Party for allegedly supporting anti-Semitism.

The comment by Trump could be interpreted as a “dual loyalty” accusation against Jewish Americans, since it relates to Netanyahu, the leader of a foreign country, as “their” leader – even though their actual leader is the president of the United States. The crowd at the RJC event didn’t protest the comment.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote on Sunday: “Mr. President, words matter. As with all elected officials, it’s critical for you to avoid language that leads people to believe Jews aren’t loyal Americans.”

The American Jewish Committee also criticized Trump with a tweet that said: “Mr. President, the Prime Minister of Israel is the leader of his (or her) country, not ours. Statements to the contrary, from staunch friends or harsh critics, feed bigotry.”

Michael Koplow, policy director at the Israel Policy Forum, compared Trump’s statement to the infamous comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar against AIPAC, which caused a political storm last month. He wrote: “Just like some Democratic Congresswomen, President Trump believes and says straight out that American Jews’ primary allegiance is to Israel. That he says it in an admiring way versus saying it in an accusatory way doesn’t make it any better.”

Just like some Democratic Congresswomen, President Trump believes and says straight out that American Jews’ primary allegiance is to Israel. That he says it in an admiring way versus saying it in an accusatory way doesn’t make it any better.

It should be noted that this isn’t the first time Trump had made this kind of direct connection between Israel and American Jews. He has referred to Israel as “your country” in front of Jewish audiences before.

In recent weeks, Trump has adopted a new line of attack against the Democrats, accusing the party of alleged anti-Semitism, mainly over the comments made by Rep. Omar. He repeated the accusation at his speech yesterday in front of the RJC crowd. Among those in attendance was casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the largest single donor to Trump’s campaign in 2016 and also a staunch supporter of Netanyahu’s.