In an exclusive interview with NBC‘s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump outlined his plans for his upcoming term, addressing pressing issues in the United States and globally.
Trump expressed pessimism regarding the fate of the 100 hostages still held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. “I’m not a big believer in the fact that there are too many of them living, sadly,” Trump stated.
“I hate to say it, I think you have far fewer hostages than people think,” he added.
Regarding Israel’s war against the Palestinian terrorist group, Trump made it clear to NBC that while he hopes for an end to the conflict, Jerusalem must secure a decisive victory. “I want [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to end it, but you have to have a victory,” Trump stated.
He addressed the growing criticism of Israel and the dismissal of the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, comparing it to Holocaust denial: “You know, you have Holocaust deniers. Now you have Oct. 7 deniers, and it just happened. No, Oct. 7 happened. What happened is horrible.”
Trump also elaborated on the rebellion against former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and the regime’s collapse.
“It’s amazing, because he stayed for years under you would think much more adverse conditions, and all of the sudden, just rebels are going and they’re taking over large pieces of territory,” he said. “People have bet against him for a long time, and so far, that hasn’t worked. But this seems to be different.”
The president-elect also praised his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for his role in the Abraham Accords normalization agreements, crediting him with laying the groundwork for broader peace in the Middle East.
In the interview, Trump reiterated his commitment to expanding the agreements to foster “real peace” in the region, framing it as a cornerstone of his foreign policy agenda for the coming years.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
