CNN has revealed details of a tense phone call between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September last year, according to journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in a new book, published Tuesday, examining the relationship between the two leaders.
According to the book, Regime Change, Trump expressed strong frustration with Netanyahu over what he saw as an insufficient response to US efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
The authors quoted Trump as telling Netanyahu: “I’m tired of your behaviour. I’ve done everything to protect you, and you’d better move forward with this. Everybody is sick of you, Bibi.”
He added: “All the Jews are sick of you, even the Jews on this call,” referring to Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
CNN reported that Trump also reviewed a series of decisions he had taken in support of Israel during his two terms in office, telling Netanyahu that he had provided significant backing over the years.
Haberman described the conversation as “an extraordinary moment”, saying it reflected the level of tension and frustration within the US administration towards the Israeli government.
She added that other conversations between the two sides later became similarly strained, describing the call as a turning point in the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu.
