Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to remarks by settler leader David Elhayani that US President Donald Trump and his senior adviser Jared Kushner are not true friends of the State of Israel. In a June 3 statement, Netanyahu strongly condemned Elhayani's words, saying, “President Trump is a great friend of the State of Israel. He has led historical moves for the State of Israel, including: Recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing the legality of settlements in Judea and Samaria," referring to the West Bank.

Earlier in the day, Elhayani, head of the umbrella settler body called the Yesha Council, said, “Trump and Kushner had shown through the proposal that they are not friends of the State of Israel and do not consider the security and settlement interests of the State of Israel."

The comment reflects an escalation in settler rhetoric vis-à-vis the Trump administration and its peace plan. Several leaders of the settlers believe that Trump’s plan and the annexation advanced by Netanyahu will eventually lead to the creation of a Palestinian state, to which they object. Now it seems that parallel to campaigning against Netanyahu’s annexation plan, some settlers intend to campaign against the American plan and perhaps even against Trump himself.

Elhayani’s statement evidently vexed the Trump administration. Senior US officials reportedly sent a message to Yesha Council members, saying their opposition to the Trump administration's peace plan showed ingratitude and that they would be well advised to reread it.