Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Some prominent Republicans are distancing themselves from former President Donald Trump, after the current GOP frontrunner repeatedly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and offered unexpected praise for Hezbollah militants.<\/p>\n
\u201cHamas, Hezbollah, Iran, the greatest state sponsor of terrorism, these are states and entities that are focused on wiping Israel off the face of the earth. That is neither smart nor good,\u201d Rep. Mike Lawler<\/a> (R-N.Y.), who represents a district that voted for President Joe Biden by double digits, told NBC News\u2019 Kristen Welker on Thursday. \u201cThis is a fight of good versus evil.\u201c<\/p>\n In an interview with Fox News\u2019 Neil Cavuto on Thursday, Rep. Mike Turner<\/a> (R-Ohio), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said that \u201cDonald Trump has to answer for Donald Trump\u2019s comment,\u201d before adding that \u201cweakness begets conflict. Where people see an opportunity, where they\u2019re looking at ways to harm others, where they don\u2019t see a strong United States, they see opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who has often been at odds with the former president, posted on X, formerly Twitter<\/a>: \u201cWomen, children, elderly, Israelis, and Americans alike have been slaughtered by these evil terrorists. It is never acceptable to praise deranged murderers or undermine one of our closest allies in their darkest hour.\u201d<\/p>\n The rebukes of Trump from members of his own party come after the former president and frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary began unexpectedly criticizing Netanyahu<\/a> on Wednesday in light of Israel\u2019s ongoing war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been hurt very badly because of what\u2019s happened here,\u201d Trump said in an interview for Fox News Radio\u2019s \u201cBrian Kilmeade Show\u201d that was featured on television on Wednesday night. \u201cHe was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also chided the Israeli leader at a speech in Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThat was a very terrible thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump went on to say that he had \u201ca bad experience with Israel as president,\u201d when his administration carried out a targeted airstrike in January 2020 to kill the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, leader of the paramilitary Quds Force, who was in Baghdad at the time. According to Trump, Netanyahu refused to help the U.S. carry out the airstrikes.<\/p>\n In his speech, Trump also described the actions of the militant group Hezbollah \u2014 an Iranian-backed proxy group based in Lebanon that the U.S. and other governments have designated a terrorist group \u2014 as \u201cvery smart.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of Trump\u2019s GOP rivals have condemned his remarks<\/a>, calling them \u201cinhumane\u201d and \u201cabsurd.\u201d The White House called the comments \u201cdangerous and unhinged\u201d in a statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n