Netanyahu's Office Condemns Trump's Anti-Islam Remarks

On Wednesday, December 9, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying that Benjamin Netanyahu condemns the recent remarks made by Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential candidate in the United States, regarding the need to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. However, a pre-scheduled meeting with him will still take place during Trump's visit to Israel. Meanwhile, after the issuance of this statement, Trump announced that he would travel to Israel but did not specify that he would necessarily meet with the Israeli Prime Minister on a specific date. Trump had previously tweeted that he would visit Israel on December 28. Israeli radio reported that the date for Netanyahu's meeting with Trump was set two weeks prior, at a time when Trump had not yet made his recent comments about the 'potential threat of Muslims' to America. Trump made his controversial remarks about Muslims after a terrorist attack by a Pakistani and Saudi Muslim couple at a disabled center in San Bernardino, California, which left 14 dead and was claimed by ISIS. Meanwhile, according to Israeli radio, 37 Jewish and Arab representatives in the Knesset, Israel's national legislature, issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling for Netanyahu to refrain from meeting with Trump until he 'retracts these statements.' The signatories of this letter also stated that Netanyahu should condemn Trump's remarks publicly and not just through a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. Some signatories in the Knesset also told Israeli media that Trump should be prevented from entering the Knesset. The Jewish signatories of the letter are mostly members of Israel's opposition parties, but several representatives from coalition parties, including the extremist religious party 'Shas,' also supported the letter. Omri Bar-Lev, a representative of the 'Zionist Union' party, said, 'It is unacceptable for someone to make such racist and hateful remarks and for Israeli officials to meet with him.' Aysawi Freij, an Arab representative in the Knesset, called on Israel's Minister of the Interior, Silvan Shalom, to prevent Trump's entry into Israel altogether. The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday, December 10, that Trump intends to visit the Jewish Holy Temple and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Although Christians can only enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque for visits, given Trump's recent remarks, this visit may provoke Palestinian reactions. The Jerusalem Post noted that Trump's statements will also affect how Jewish supporters of the Republican Party vote. American Republicans hoped that, given the cold relations in recent years between Obama and the Israeli government, their party would receive a higher percentage of votes from American Jews in the November 2016 elections. Not only has the White House and the Democratic Party condemned Trump's recent remarks, but almost all of Trump's fellow party members have criticized him as well. In this context, Trump's popularity has decreased in the latest polls, with severe criticism of his remarks about the 'ban on Muslim entry.' The implications of new travel restrictions to the U.S. for Iranian-Americans have also been highlighted, with Rouhani reacting to Trump's comments by labeling the U.S. as a 'supporter of terrorism.'