Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, on Thursday met with President-elect Donald Trump at the Trump Tower and stressed that Israel was looking forward to working with all the members of his administration, including Steve Bannon.
“Israel has no doubt that President-elect Trump is a true friend of Israel,” Dermer said in a statement following the meeting.
“We have no doubt that Vice-President-elect Mike Pence is a true friend of Israel, he was one of Israel’s greatest friends in the Congress, one of the most pro-Israel governors in the country, and we look forward to working with the Trump administration, with all of the members of the Trump administration, including Steve Bannon, and making the U.S.-Israel alliance stronger than ever,” he added.
Bannon, who was named Trump’s chief strategist, has come under fire and accused of anti-Semitism.
Despite the negative reactions, some comments by Bannon's acquaintances were supportive of him. Joel Pollak, who worked for Bannon at Breitbart, wrote, "I've worked closely with Steve Bannon at Breitbart. He's an American patriot who also defends Israel & has deep empathy for the Jewish people.
As well, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) denounced the character assassination of Bannon and cited several examples which prove that he is an ally of Israel.