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The Guardian World1 min read
Where does Iran deal leave US-Israel relationship as they reach ‘a fork in the road’?
TL;DR
The US-Israel relationship faces uncertainty following Donald Trump's deal with Iran, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to acknowledge differences with the US president. Netanyahu emphasized Israel's security interests while urging critics to reserve judgment on the agreement.
Key points
- Trump's deal with Iran creates uncertainty for US-Israel relations
- Netanyahu acknowledges differences with Trump regarding security
- Israel may need to act independently against Iran
- Netanyahu urges critics to reserve judgment on the deal
Mentioned in this story
Benjamin NetanyahuDonald Trump
It took more than a day after news of Donald Trump’s deal with Iran went public for Benjamin Netanyahu to speak out.
When he finally appeared at a press conference on Monday evening, the Israeli prime minister skirted a cornerstone of his past public appearances: his excellent relationship with the US president.
“There are cases in which President Trump and I do not see eye to eye,” he said when asked about that. “I am responsible for Israel’s security interests, and it needs to be done wisely.”
As to the deal, he told its many critics not to pass judgment yet: “We do not know what the agreement will be.”
Increasingly, the Israeli prime minister who had dominated relations with five US presidents has had to face the prospect of Israel going it alone against Iran. It is a remarkable turnaround from a mere four months ago, when his intervention and a White House presentation that he had given to successive US administrations finally hit home, convincing Trump to mount a joint attack.
But if Netanyahu has not been forthcoming about his souring relationship with Washington, then the converse has not been true. In one conversation with Axios, Trump said that he was “so pissed off” and told Netanyahu that he had “no fucking judgment”.
In public, Trump laid into Netanyahu for launching strikes against Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah is in conflict with Israel, on the “special day” when his peace treaty was to be announced. “Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday, adding that “too many people are being killed.”
“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody,” he said. “There are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah.”
For Netanyahu, who has leveraged enormous lobbying support in the United States, this was a nightmare turnaround. The combined pressure of a US president desperate to exit the war he launched and of an upcoming Israeli election challenge have flipped the script, leaving him as a potential spoiler to a grand bargain that could have enormous political consequences for him.
“Let’s be clear, Trump has enormous leverage,” said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “No American president has ever talked to an Israeli prime minister the way Donald Trump has talked about Netanyahu. No American president has ever allowed his private conversations to be leaked and so profanity-laced and mocking. It’s really quite extraordinary.”
Q&A
What is the significance of Trump's deal with Iran for Israel?
Trump's deal with Iran raises concerns for Israel, as it may lead to Israel needing to act independently against Iranian threats.
How has Netanyahu's relationship with Trump changed after the Iran deal?
Netanyahu has acknowledged differences with Trump, marking a shift in their previously strong relationship regarding security interests.
What did Netanyahu say about the critics of the Iran deal?
Netanyahu urged critics not to pass judgment on the Iran deal yet, indicating uncertainty about its implications.
What was the state of US-Israel relations before the Iran deal?
Before the Iran deal, Netanyahu had a strong influence on US policy, successfully convincing Trump to take military action against Iran.
