As he sat subsequent to President Trump on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had a smile on his face that he not often had over the last administration. And why not? He received most every part 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 instances because the Israeli chief returned to energy in 2022.
In truth, 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 top of his personal. In contrast, Mr. Trump made Mr. Netanyahu the primary international chief he has invited since his personal return to energy just a little 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 struggle in opposition to Hamas even on the expense of the short-term cease-fire now in impact. Simply earlier than Mr. Netanyahu’s arrival on the White Home on Tuesday, Mr. Trump signed an order reinstating “maximum pressure” on Iran and later, with the Israeli chief at his aspect, 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 doubtlessly legacy-making precedence for Mr. Netanyahu, whereas dropping any assist 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 is poised to launch weapons held up by the previous president.
“All the hoopla on the U.S. taking up Gaza precipitated us to overlook the actual story from the assembly,” mentioned 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 indication of no daylight between Israel and the U.S., this was it.”
Mr. Netanyahu alluded to the tension with Mr. Biden throughout his assembly with Mr. Trump. Regardless of his robust assist 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 struggle to an finish. Mr. Netanyahu resisted and made clear on Tuesday how comfortable he was that Mr. Biden was gone.
“When Israel and america work collectively — and President Trump and I work collectively, you understand — the possibilities go up rather a lot” for fulfillment, Mr. Netanyahu mentioned within the Oval Workplace. “It’s after we don’t work collectively, Israel and america don’t work collectively, that creates issues. When the opposite aspect 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 agreement reached last month, Mr. Biden or Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden first put the cease-fire deal on the desk and his group spent months negotiating all the small print, 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 pressure and highly effective management” and mentioned nothing about Mr. Biden.
The duet sung by the 2 leaders papered over the rift that developed throughout the closing 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 “demise and destruction” wrought on the Palestinian folks in Gaza whereas sitting subsequent to the prime minister who gave the orders for the struggle that has killed 47,000 folks, in keeping with Gaza well being authorities.
The 2 additionally gave totally different assessments of Iran’s power. Mr. Netanyahu boasted of every part that he has finished up 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 mentioned.
However that doesn’t match the narrative Mr. Trump has been pushing. He has been arguing that Mr. Biden was too mushy on Iran, which on this model has grown ever extra highly effective throughout 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 might to keep away from any daylight.
