11 June 2021; MEMO: Former US President Donald Trump would have "unconditionally" supported Israel in its latest onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
"We, in the previous administration, would have done it differently. We would immediately clarify our support for Israel without reservation," Pompeo said in an interview with Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth.
"President Biden certainly spoke the right words. But I think most people who watched his speech realised that this was another message entirely".
Pompeo said the US sale of F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was an integral part of the Abraham Accords that brought about the normalization deal between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi last year.
"There was a series of actions that allowed the accords to advance and eventually be signed, including the F-35 deal," Pompeo said, adding that "the [assassination] of [Iranian General Qasem] Soleimani was deeply connected to the Abraham Accords … It proved to the world that the United States is determined in its battle against Iran."
Pompeo said the Trump administration's decision to boost Saudi military capabilities, to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and to declare that Israeli settlements are not inconsistent with international law, "led world leaders to come to the conclusion that these people, us, the Trump administration, are serious and determined people."
"However, those world leaders also needed other promises to know that we appreciate them as partners in defence of peace. The agreement to sell the F-35 was critical to that, because it proved that we have full faith in them as defence partners. Beyond the technology of the jet, beyond the capabilities it gives the Emiratis, the very sale says that Israelis and Americans believe that the Emirates can share their perception of security. And that is very, very important," he added.
