Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he would “100%” come to the defense of Israel if it was attacked, in an interview Monday on Fox News Channel.

Trump won the Republican Nevada caucuses on Tuesday night, his third consecutive victory in an early-voting which strengthens his position in the Republican presidential race before the wave of Super Tuesday elections on March 1.

In the interview by host Sean Hannity, Trump was asked about his earlier comments on MSNBC that he would be “neutral” in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and whether he sees “that Israel is the victim in this?” Trump’s noncommittal attitude was considered as a significant departure from the unwavering support for Israel voiced by the Republican Party and by his party rivals, in particular Marco Rubio who has blasted President Obama’s Israel policy and vowed to “make restoring the U.S.-Israel relationship a top priority” and Ted Cruz who said that on the first day of his administration, he would “recognize Jerusalem as the eternal, undivided capital of Israel.”

This time, in the Fox interview Trump said that he does and that he’s “a great friend of Israel.”

He added that making a deal between Israel and Palestine would be “the ultimate deal” if it was possible, and “I have been told by people, very high level people, it’s impossible, because the hatred, especially on the one side, I won’t even say which side –”“On the Palestinian side?,” asked Hannity. Trump continued, “is so intense. It’s so incredible, and from the time they’re 2 years old they’re told to hate, to hate, to hate. It’s got to be taken away.”

He also said that ‘’what Obama has done to Israel is a disgrace.’

“You look at what he’s done to Israel, with just this Iran deal, which is such a terrible deal. He’s been the worst thing that’s ever happened to Israel," said Trump.

“Now, a lot of my friends that are Jewish do not support him any longer. But I still have some that do. I say, How can you do it? ...You know what? I think it’s habit. They do it out of habit.”