Netanyahu condemns riots, but remains effusive about Trump

• Date: 07 January 2021
• Published date: 07 January 2021
• Author: LAHAV HARKOV

Yet Netanyahu continued to praise US President Donald Trump, who backed the rioters' clause with repeated claims that the November election that he lost had been "stolen." In December, the US attorney-general at the time William Barr, who had been appointed by Trump, said there was no evidence of widespread election fraud.

Netanyahu condemned the storming of the Capitol, saying it "was shameful and must be vigorously condemned."

"For generations American democracy has inspired millions around the world and in Israel. American democracy has always inspired me," the prime minister said. "Lawlessness and violence are the opposite of the values we know Americans and Israelis cherish."

"I have no doubt that American democracy will prevail - it always has," the prime minister added.

Mnuchin similarly came out against the riots: "The violence that occurred last night at the Capitol in Washington DC is completely unacceptable…and must stop.

"Our democratic institutions have been strong for a very long period of time. Our democracy will prevail and our institutions will remain strong," he stated.

Netanyahu went on to praise the Trump administration's policies on Israel.

"You have made a real difference, achieving one breakthrough after another," he said, referring to the Abraham Accords, in which the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco normalized ties with Israel, among other policies.

Netanyahu said he has "no doubt more Arab and Muslim countries will join" the accords.

The prime minister thanked Mnuchin for his involvement in US sanctions on Iran, as part of the "maximum pressure" campaign.

Those moves "must be continued to prevent Iran from continuing its campaign of terrorism and to prevent Iran from rushing to a nuclear weapon," he said.

If the US returns to the Iran deal, Netanyahu warned, "many other countries in the Middle East may rush to arm themselves with nuclear weapons. That is a nightmare. That is a folly. It should not happen."

Mnuchin said the campaign against Iran has saved lives and prevented terrorist activities by cutting off their funding.

"It is imperative that any future negotiations with Iran, on both nuclear [weapons] as well as ballistic missiles, need to be done in conjunction and in consultation with Israel and its Arab neighbors," he added.

On top of Netanyahu, numerous political leaders in Israel and around the world condemned the riots that burst into the Capitol building.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that "the photos from...