DHAKA: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced Thursday that he was postponing his planned trip to Israel which had been scheduled for the end of December.
Trump posted on his Twitter account that he was postponing the trip, and his scheduled meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ‘a later date after I become President of the US’.
The postponement of the visit came after Trump stirred up controversy by calling for ‘a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,’ in light of what he said was ‘great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population’.
Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Trump’s remarks regarding Muslims, but officials suggested that he would not cancel the meeting because of the remarks.
‘The State of Israel respects all religions and protects stringently the rights of all its citizens,’ a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
‘At the same time, Israel is struggling with extremist Islam that is attacking Muslims, Christian and Jews as one and is threatening the entire world.’
The statement said Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump was scheduled two weeks ago, and that the PM, previous to that, had established a policy of meeting with every candidate who comes to Israel.
‘This policy does not reflect support for the candidates or their policies, but rather expresses the importance that the PM attributes to the strong alliance between Israel and the United States.’
Netanyahu’s spokesman confirmed that the prime minister is willing to meet any US presidential candidate who visits Israel.
But, prior to his announcement that he was postponing the trip, politicians across Israel’s political spectrum put pressure on Netanyahu to cancel the meeting in light of Trump’s latest remarks.
Meretz chairwoman Zehava Gal- On said such a meeting would be a ‘slap in the face to Muslim citizens of Israel’.
A petition circulated by Meretz’s Michal Rozin asking that the meeting be canceled was signed by 37 MKs, including two from the coalition: Roy Folkman (Kulanu) and Ya’acov Margi (Shas).
BDST: 1916 HRS, DEC 10, 2015
RR
