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‘Total B.S.’: US Lawmaker Brian Mast Rips Rumors of Trump-Netanyahu ‘Rift’
US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt
US Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) asserted Monday that there was “no rift” between US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Total BS,” Mast said, “There’s no rift. We’re having serious conversations to bring the world to a different place than where it’s been before.”
Mast continued, arguing that the current negotiations to include Syria—a country which Israel has long had negative relations with—in the Abraham accords exemplifies the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting Israel.
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the ongoing war in Gaza, adding tension to a once-close relationship. Reports say Trump has privately criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict, expressing concern that the prolonged military campaign is damaging Israel’s global image and endangering the lives of the remaining hostages. .Trump, who has long prided himself on his strong support for Israel, is said to view the war as an unnecessary political liability, and has been privately urginging Netanyahu to cut a ceasefire and hostage deal with the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
Rumors of faltering relations between Israel and the US intensified after the White House declined to visit the Jewish state during Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East. Furthernore,, the Trump administration brokered an agreement with the Houthi terrorist group, bypassing Israel entirely. The move, aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and protecting Red Sea shipping lanes, has raised eyebrows among U.S. allies, with some viewing it as a sign of Trump’s growing impatience with Israeli leadership amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Mast also dismissed notions that Israel has experienced a significant amount of support among conservatives, gesturing to the successful passage of an International Criminal Court (ICC) sanctions bill through the House of Representatives, touting “unanimous” support among Republicans. The bill ultimately failed on the Senate floor due to a lack of support from Democratic lawmakers.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), one of the most strident supporters of Israel in Congress, also praised Trump’s support of Israel while in office.
“I don’t know if there’s a more pro-Israel president ever,” Scott said.
However, Scott expressed frustration over the president’s seeming embrace of Qatar—a Gulf state with an extensive history of supporting Jihadist terrorism.
“I think it’s despicable that they host Hamas leaders,” Scott said of Qatar.
The Congressman said that he believes Middle Eastern countries will eventually normalize relations with Israel, arguing that the benefits of enhanced economic ties with the United States will outweigh historical grievances.
“I think [Middle Eastern countries] are going to trade with us, and they’re going to be partners with Israel,” Scott said.
However, Scott cautioned supporters of Israel that growing isolationist sentiments within the Republican Party could weaken the bond between the US and the Jewish state. Scott urged Israel advocates to be much more clear with how the America-Israel relationship benefits America.
“Clearly we have to support Israel,” but it is “incumbent upon all of us” to be “clear about what we are doing. If you want to support Israel, be very vocal about why and how it benefits America.”
The post ‘Total B.S.’: US Lawmaker Brian Mast Rips Rumors of Trump-Netanyahu ‘Rift’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.