As he sat subsequent to President Trump on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had a smile on his face that he hardly ever had over the past administration. And why not? He obtained most the whole lot he got here to Washington for.
Put apart the president’s far-fetched notion of a U.S. takeover of Gaza. Mr. Trump made clear that he had no intention of urgent Mr. Netanyahu as President Joseph R. Biden Jr. did at occasions because the Israeli chief returned to energy in 2022.
The truth is, Mr. Netanyahu’s mere presence within the White Home was an indication of how a lot has modified. Mr. Biden didn’t host the prime minister on the government mansion till final July, greater than 18 months into Mr. Netanyahu’s newest time period and 6 months earlier than the tip of his personal. Against this, Mr. Trump made Mr. Netanyahu the primary overseas chief he has invited since his personal return to energy slightly over two weeks in the past.
Throughout their conferences, Mr. Trump indicated that he wouldn’t attempt to cease Israel from persevering with to wage conflict in opposition to Hamas even on the expense of the non permanent cease-fire now in impact. Simply earlier than Mr. Netanyahu’s arrival on the White Home on Tuesday, Mr. Trump signed an order reinstating “most stress” on Iran and later, with the Israeli chief at his facet, vowed once more to forestall Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Trump additionally recommitted to brokering a diplomatic rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a probably legacy-making precedence for Mr. Netanyahu, whereas dropping any help for a Palestinian state, one thing the prime minister has rejected regardless of stress from the Saudis and others. He has additionally canceled sanctions imposed by Mr. Biden on violent West Financial institution settlers and has launched weapons held up by the previous president.
“The entire hoopla on the U.S. taking on Gaza brought about us to overlook the true story from the assembly,” stated Aaron David Miller, a longtime Center East peace negotiator now on the Carnegie Endowment for Worldwide Peace. “Bibi leaves the White Home among the many happiest people on the planet. If there ever was an illustration of no daylight between Israel and the U.S., this was it.”
Mr. Netanyahu alluded to the pressure with Mr. Biden throughout his assembly with Mr. Trump. Regardless of his robust help for Israel over a half-century in public life and notably after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist assault by Hamas that killed 1,200 folks, Mr. Biden periodically pushed the Israeli chief to do extra to keep away from civilian casualties in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian disaster there and produce the conflict to an finish. Mr. Netanyahu resisted and made clear on Tuesday how comfortable he was that Mr. Biden was gone.
“When Israel and the USA work collectively — and President Trump and I work collectively, — the possibilities go up so much” for fulfillment, Mr. Netanyahu stated within the Oval Workplace. “It’s once we don’t work collectively, Israel and the USA don’t work collectively, that creates issues. When the opposite facet sees daylight between us — and sometimes in the previous couple of years, to place it mildly, they noticed daylight — then it’s harder.”
At one other level, Mr. Netanyahu was requested who deserved extra credit score for the cease-fire settlement reached final month, Mr. Biden or Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden first put the cease-fire deal on the desk and his crew spent months negotiating all the main points, however Mr. Trump’s stress on the finish pressured the negotiators to lastly log off.
In response to the query, Mr. Netanyahu praised Mr. Trump’s “nice power and highly effective management” and stated nothing about Mr. Biden.
The duet sung by the 2 leaders papered over the rift that developed in the course of the ultimate 12 months of Mr. Trump’s first time period, when he bristled at what he thought-about Mr. Netanyahu’s presumption and erupted when the Israeli chief congratulated Mr. Biden on his victory within the 2020 election.
However there have been nonetheless a few discordant notes. It was considerably surreal to take heed to Mr. Trump repeatedly lament all of the “dying and destruction” wrought on the Palestinian folks in Gaza whereas sitting subsequent to the prime minister who gave the orders for the conflict that has killed 47,000 folks, in accordance with Gaza well being authorities.
The 2 additionally gave totally different assessments of Iran’s power. Mr. Netanyahu boasted of the whole lot that he has accomplished prior to now 16 months to break Iran and its proxy forces Hamas and Hezbollah. “The Iran terror axis has by no means been weaker,” he stated.
However that doesn’t match the narrative Mr. Trump has been pushing. He has been arguing that Mr. Biden was too tender on Iran, which on this model has grown ever extra highly effective in the course of the previous 4 years. “They’re not weak,” Mr. Trump insisted. “They’re very robust proper now.”
Nonetheless, these disparities went largely unnoticed amid the bonhomie. Two leaders, each of whom have confronted felony trials, each of whom have recaptured workplace after being defeated, relished their renewed alignment and did all they may to keep away from any daylight.
