Former Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) weighed in on President Trump's trip to the Middle East, saying Tuesday that the decision not to visit Israel sends a clear message about his stance on the war in Gaza.
Trump traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, late Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss investment. He is also slated to make stops in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
“I think that the fact that he’s avoiding Israel on this trip sends a hell of a message,” Tester said Tuesday during an appearance on MSNBC.
“If Israel didn’t pick this message up, they’re tone deaf," he continued. "Because the message is pretty clear, I think, to everybody around him, that if you want to play in the Middle East, then you’ve got to be nice with others, and there's been a lot of problems over the last few years."
His comments come as the Israeli military has continued to conduct airstrikes on civilians in the West Bank and blocked humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip — which is run by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Trump and administration officials had encouraged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire but recently turned their focus to recovering American hostages.
Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage held by Hamas was released on Monday, as Israeli forces struck a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, killing a group of around 16 people that consisted mostly of women and children.
Netanyahu said earlier this month his mission continues to be eradicating Hamas. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, after the militant group launched an attack on Israel that left roughly 1,200 people dead and more than 250 were taken captive.
Since that day, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in subsequent strikes, according to local health officials. That number does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
"We want to bring all our hostages' home. We’ve so far brought back 147 alive, and 196 total. There are ... up to 24 alive, 59 total, and we want to return the living and the dead,” the prime minister said earlier this month during an Independence Day event in Jerusalem.
“It’s a very important goal," he added. "The war has a supreme goal, and the supreme goal is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve."
Netanyahu’s comments echo some of the recent remarks from far-right leaders of his governing coalition.
“We need to tell the truth — bringing back the hostages is not the most important goal. It is, of course, a very, very, very, very important goal,” far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said last week, according to CNN.
“But anyone who wants to destroy Hamas and eliminate the possibility of another Oct. 7 must understand that in Gaza, there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains present and intact," Smotrich added.
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