Jewish In America: Benjamin Netanyahu Praises Donald Trump For Taking A Stand Against Anti-Semitic Incidents

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump Wednesday for publicly condemning a recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S., including recent bomb threats to Jewish community centers and vandalism in a Jewish cemetery.

"It's very important that President Trump took a strong stand against anti-Semitism and it’s important that we all continue to do so in the years ahead," Netanyahu said at an event for the Jewish community in the Central Synagogue in Sydney, Australia.

He described anti-Semitism as a growing trend that needs to be acted upon.

"We have a battle against those who seek to demonize our people and against the resurgent anti-Semitism we see in many parts of the world," he said, adding that "it is something that we need to fight together."

After visiting the African-American museum in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Trump condemned the recent acts of vandalism against Jews. "Anti-Semitism is horrible and it’s going to stop," he said. "This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms. The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are a painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil."

Trump's response followed the media's criticism against him for not condemning the vandalism forcefully enough. At two press conferences last week, reporters raised questions about the safety of Jews in America and the rise of anti-Semitism. However, Trump did not answer them directly at the time.

Over 11 Jewish community centers in the United States were evacuated Monday after receiving bomb threats. These recent threats followed the FBI's hate crime investigation last month after about 60 threats were received by JCCs.

During the museum visit, Trump was also asked by reporters if he would visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., as well. He replied, "I will. I will be doing it soon. Very important. Very important for me."