Donald Trump defended Israel staunchly when the war with Hamas broke out, but after six months of conflict and 33,000 deaths in Gaza, the Republican is not so clear that this support should be unconditional.
The former president does not usually mince his words when it comes to international crises, but on this topic he has limited himself to two insinuations in recent interviews.
“I'm not sure I like the way they do it,” the White House candidate told a radio host on Thursday.
Referring to “videos of buildings collapsing,” the former tycoon said Israel was “absolutely losing the communication war.”
A few weeks earlier, the septuagenarian, who has distanced himself somewhat from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Democrat Joe Biden assumed the presidency of the United States, had already criticized “horrific images” of “bombs dropped on buildings in Gaza,” in statements to an Israeli media.
Historical ally
In these interviews, Donald Trump did not mention the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Palestinian civilian death toll or the seven aid workers killed on Monday in an Israeli drone attack.
But they are his harshest words about Israel, and they have sparked much comment both from his historic ally and in Washington.
Donald Trump has long boasted that he has done more for Israel than any other American president.
Under his presidency (2017-2021), the United States turned its back on the two-state solution by unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The American embassy moved to the holy city. He also slammed the door on Iran's hard-won nuclear deal with major powers.
In the last period of his mandate, the Republican millionaire presented a peace plan that would have allowed Israel to annex much of the West Bank, leaving the Palestinians with only a reduced state, with its capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
In the end, the Trump administration prioritized recognition of Israel by other Arab countries, further marginalizing the Palestinian issue.
'It's not very presidential'
Do Donald Trump's comments about the war in Gaza mark some kind of change of course?
Danielle Pletka, of the conservative think tank AEI, opts for caution.
“No one is completely sure what Trump's opinion is on the matter,” she told AFP, estimating that the Republican speaks more “like a communications advisor” than like a candidate for the White House.
“It's not very presidential, it's not political, it's more of an expert opinion,” she stressed.
For some political observers, Donald Trump's vagueness is more explained by how much he has at stake electorally in this conflict, seven months before the presidential elections that he will contest against Joe Biden.
The tempestuous septuagenarian frequently uses ambiguous terms to refer to sensitive issues for American voters.
He is deliberately vague, for example, on abortion, aware that any stance considered too extreme could cost him dearly at the polls against Joe Biden.