According to Donald Trump, “The state of Israel is a symbol to the world of resilience in the face of oppression.” The US president went on,
Your perseverance in the face of hostility, your open democracy in the face of violence, and your success in the face of tall odds is truly inspirational.
Speaking to the press during the visit of Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu earlier today, Trump also highlighted the sanctions his administration had placed on Iran and the US’ commitment to defend Israel in the United Nations where, he said “which has treated Israel in my opinion very, very unfairly”
Netanyahu, as expected, enjoyed the indulgence of Mr Trump very much, as his twitter feed made clear:
A warm and excellent meeting with President Donald Trump – a successful day for the State of Israel! pic.twitter.com/B5Z3UdlrGh
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) February 15, 2017
Not all of the twittersphere wasn’t quite so impressed, however. Rather, users from all over the world took to the social media platform to articulate their displeasure.
The Daily Show poked fun at the ‘surreal’ press conference:
Tonight at 11/10c, Donald Trump’s surreal press conference with Israeli PM Netanyahu. pic.twitter.com/wP9itMDlLH
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 16, 2017
While AJ+ identified the numerous ‘alternative facts’ that abound on the issue:
As #Israeli #PM #Netanyahu meets with #Trump, beware of three alternative facts you might hear about #Israel. pic.twitter.com/ZN0Y0EewFO
— justicepal2014 (@justicepal2014) February 15, 2017
A diverse range of Americans took to the streets to denounce the meeting:
No ban! No wall! Jerusalem for All. Boston interfaith community protests Trump/Netanyahu alliance #NoToBoth #BuildMovementsNotWalls pic.twitter.com/O53SVqAt9V
— Jewish Voice for Peace – Boston (@JVPBoston) February 15, 2017
While others pointed out the record of hypocrisy by both leaders:
Never Forget: #Netanyahu, who once said a Palestinian inspired the Holocaust, today defended Trump for inspiring rising anti-Semitism in US.
— David Harris-Gershon (@David_EHG) February 15, 2017
And one group even flew the Palestinian flag right outside Trump tower:
Trump and Netanyahu can't stop us from winning a #FreePalestine #BuildMovementsNotWalls pic.twitter.com/c6efGyiF5G
— JVP Chicago (@JVPChicago) February 16, 2017