Trump criticized rivals at meeting with Netanyahu in Florida

(Patria) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sharply criticized his Democratic political rivals and warned of dire consequences for the Middle East if he is not re-elected, when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Friday, AFP reported.

It was a meeting in the week that Netanyahu addressed the US Congress and spoke with President Joe Biden and potential Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who warned the Israeli leader the day before about the task regarding the situation in Gaza.

"We have incompetent people running our country," Trump said as he sat across from Netanyahu. "If we win, it will be very simple. Everything will work out, and it will work out very quickly," he added.

"If we don't, you could end up with big wars in the Middle East and maybe World War III."

Trump's campaign later released a statement about the meeting, saying he "pledged that when he returns to the White House, he will do everything to bring peace to the Middle East and fight the spread of antisemitism on university campuses across the United States."

Trump warmly greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara, kissing her on both cheeks, and then clasped hands with the longtime prime minister as they arrived at the Mar-a-Lago resort.

Netanyahu posted a photo online showing him holding a cap with the inscription "TOTAL VICTORY," which he vowed to achieve against Hamas in Gaza, standing next to Trump.

The tone was in stark contrast to Netanyahu's meeting with Harris on Thursday, where the vice president told him to conclude a peace agreement in Gaza and insisted she would not "remain silent" about the suffering in the Palestinian enclave. "What has happened in Gaza over the last nine months has been devastating. Images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third, or fourth time," Harris said.

Trump on Friday described Harris as a "radical left person" and said he thought "her remarks were disrespectful - they weren't very nice about Israel."

Netanyahu has had a significantly warmer relationship with Trump than with Biden, and has clashed with the current president's administration over issues including civilian casualties in Gaza and the speed of US arms deliveries to Israel.

In his address to Congress, the Israeli leader praised both Biden and Trump, but specifically praised controversial measures taken by the former president during his term.

"I want to thank President Trump for all the things he did for Israel. From recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, to confronting Iranian aggression, to recognizing Jerusalem as our capital and moving the US embassy there," Netanyahu said.