Netanyahu among first to congratulate Trump on victory

via X

Congratulatory messages from world leaders began pouring in shortly after Donald Trump declared victory in the 2024 US Election, with Israeli PM Netanyahu one of the first.

"Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America," Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu said. 

Meanwhile, Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday that Donald Trump will be tested on his statements that he can stop the war within hours as US president.

"We urge Trump to learn from (President Joe) Biden's mistakes," Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Trump had said the war would not have started if he was in power, saying he would have prevented the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israeli. 

In his victory declaration speech to his supporters, Trump recalled his previous tenure as president did not see any wars, except "defeating ISIS in record time."

His anticipated comeback to the White House comes at a particularly sensitive time in the Middle East, with Israel waging accelerating wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and exchanging fire with Iran. 

"The US elections are not really our business. Our policies are steady and don't change based on individuals. We made the necessary predictions before and there will not be change in people's livelihoods," Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Arab and Western officials have said Trump may reimpose his "maximum pressure policy" through heightened sanctions on Iran's oil industry and empower Israel to strike its nuclear sites and conduct "targeted assassinations". 

The Republican candidate is the assumed winner after clenching three swing states-Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia. He currently has 267 of the 270 required electoral college votes, and is expected to be declared the official winner of the 2024 US Election over the coming hours. 

The inauguration of the next US president will take place in January. 

More from International News

News

  • 'Peace is not far away' says Erdogan after Putin meeting

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, fresh from a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, said he hopes to discuss a Ukraine-Russia peace plan with US President Donald Trump, adding that "peace is not far away".

  • UAE, Serbia deepen ties with new political agreement

    His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Đurić. have agreed to deepen political coordination after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during talks in Abu Dhabi.

  • UAE strengthens child protection measures

    The UAE has introduced changes to its laws governing the care of children of unknown parentage, expanding custody options and strengthening child protection measures.