Kaamil Ahmed,Turgut Alp Boyraz
10 December 2015•Update: 10 December 2015
JERUSALEM
The divisive U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump has canceled a controversial meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“I have decided to postpone my trip to Israel and to schedule my meeting with Netanyahu at a later date after I become President of the U.S.,” Trump tweeted Thursday.
Though he did not explain why the trip was delayed, there had been widespread opposition from politicians in Israel as well as Jewish groups in the U.S. to Trump’s visit after he called for a blanket ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
The cancelation came a day after the Israeli government had to issue a statement condemning Trump’s comments while insisting that the meeting would go ahead as Netanyahu had already committed to meeting all U.S. presidential hopefuls.
Both Israeli and Arab lawmakers in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, had opposed Trump’s visit on the grounds that his comments were racist.
“Trump is coming to see his friends in Israel,” Israeli-Arab lawmaker Basel Ghattas told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday. “Netanyahu and Trump are no different to each other, they are both racists anyway.”
Trump also provoked reactions from the U.K. after he claimed that parts of London were “so radicalized” they had become no-go zones for police.
A petition to the British parliament calling for Trump to be banned from the country has gained almost 450,000 signatures so far, breaking the threshold needed for it to be considered by a parliamentary committee for discussion in the main house.
London mayor Boris Johnson responded to Trump by insisting that London, like Trump’s hometown New York, is safe but “the only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.”
Despite denials from British politicians and police, Trump has stood by his comments, tweeting on Thursday that “The United Kingdom is trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem. Everybody is wise to what is happening, very sad! Be honest.”
Trump has become a frontrunner in the race to be the right-wing Republican party’s candidate in the 2016 election, with a campaign littered with provocative statements, often about immigrants from neighboring Mexico and refugees from Syria or other Muslim countries.
On Monday, he sparked outrage by saying Muslims should be banned from entering the U.S., with the White House responding that his comments “disqualify him from serving as president” as they contradicted the oath to protect the constitution.
Jewish organizations in the U.S. also slammed Trump's comments, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
