Israeli Minister Ben Gvir, known for his far-right views, shows support for Trump

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threw his support behind GOP nominee Donald Trump for president just before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

“I believe that with Trump, Israel will receive the support needed to take action against Iran,” Ben Gvir told Bloomberg. “Trump will make it clear that enemies must be defeated.”

Usually, leaders from both countries do not endorse political candidates in other nations, as reported by The Times Of Israel. However, Ben Gvir criticized the Biden administration for giving Hamas “lots of energy” during the Gaza war.

The endorsement from Ben Gvir came shortly after reports that he proposed postponing a hostage and cease-fire deal with Hamas because reaching an agreement now would benefit Biden and harm Trump, according to The Times.  

Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are against ending the fighting before Hamas is eliminated and have threatened to topple the Israeli government if such an agreement is reached.

Ben Gvir’s endorsement of Trump comes ahead of Netanyahu’s meeting with the former president at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday.

Ben Gvir did not directly mention Kamala Harris’ policies but suggested that she will continue Biden’s agenda if she becomes the Democratic nominee.

He acknowledged that endorsing Trump might upset his colleagues. 

“A cabinet minister is expected to remain neutral, but that’s impossible after Biden,” he said.

Earlier this year, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli also expressed support for Trump due to his belief that Biden is projecting weakness.

In addition, Ben Gvir criticized Netanyahu’s response to Israel’s drone and missile strikes in April.

He advocated for a strong, retaliatory approach to attacks on Israel and called for direct confrontation with Hezbollah, a terror group based in Lebanon, that has been targeting Israeli military and communities at the northern border.

Many on the Israeli right appreciate Trump for his policies, particularly for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing it as the capital of Israel.

However, Trump faced criticism for referring to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as a “jerk” and praising Hezbollah as “very smart” during a campaign rally.