‘A Bold and Smart Move’: Israeli Minister Backs Trump’s Stance on De-Dollarization
Jerusalem, 3 December, 2024 (TPS-IL) -- New Delhi (ANI): Israel Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, expressed his support on Tuesday for US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent threat to BRICS countries regarding their de-dollarisation efforts, saying that “I think it’s in the best interest of the free world.”
Speaking to ANI, Barkat said, “I think it’s a bold and smart move and I don’t think India is going to be part of any kind of currency, neither will Israel.”
“President Trump is making geopolitical order – aligning in the interest of the West and Democracies and also defining who are the bad guys, enemies and jihadists. Iran, Qatar, the proxies in our region that are trying to destabilize peace – it’s not only in the interest of Israel but also for the free world that we align against bullies,” he added.
As Trump prepares to assume charge in Washington, Barkat has expressed his support for Trump’s economic approach. Barkat stated, “I think what President Trump is doing, he is aligning his economy with the geopolitics. In other words, if you are an adversary – you’ll pay heavy taxes but if you are an ally, the doors are open – having a good relationship (of the US) with Israel and India – will only do good to us…”
De-dollarization refers to efforts aimed at reducing global reliance on the US dollar, which gives Washington influence to impose sanctions and take other measures impacting global markets. BRICS is an acronym representing a group of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
On Saturday, Trump threatened the BRICS nations with 100 percent tariffs and called for a clear commitment from these countries to refrain from creating a new currency or supporting any other currency to replace the US dollar.
Further, Barkat expressed his gratitude to the Indian government for their support during difficult times.
“On October 7, one of the first calls was from PM Modi. We as Israelis respect that. We understand how deep the relationship is. It’s also an opportunity to say thank you to the whole govt of India. You (India) know how to stand beside us in times of trouble. We have a long good memory about India,” Barkat told ANI.
Further, Barkat called on Israel’s neighbors to recognize the State of Israel and seek peace and collaboration.
“Unfortunately, we have neighbors that are jihadists. It’s a holy war, they want to destroy Israel,” Barkat said. “The only hope to reshape the Middle East is that they recognize the State of Israel and they understand that rather than building tunnels and terror, they want to build Dubai and cities and towers and jobs.”
“We want to see our neighbours build Dubai and not Gaza. We want to have peace like Dubai. We want to expand the Abraham Accord to include the Saudis, Indonesia and other modern Arab states that are seeking to create win-win deals,” he added.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.
