Israel has a plan to insulate its security relationship from the United States as U.S. President Donald Trump, and the general public mood in the United States, turn against it. Israelis are acutely aware of their overwhelming dependence on Washington, their most important ally, which has stood by their side for decades, delivering state-of-the-art military equipment on the battlefield and diplomatic cover at the United Nations.
But that doesn’t mean they want to lose their strategic autonomy or refrain from punishing their prime minister for mishandling the key relationship.
As the U.S. president announced a deal with Iran, it was clear that Israel had been sidelined. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even admitted he doesn’t know all the details.
The U.S. president has said that Israel agreed to the terms of a deal with Iran, but not too long ago, he also told the Financial Times that the Israeli prime minister “won’t have any choice” in the matter. “I call the shots. I call all the shots,” Trump said.
Netanyahu has been forced into a tightrope walk: balancing between placating Trump while retaining independent decision-making, and projecting leadership in an election year. “We have a relationship of partners who know each other,” Netanyahu told reporters on Monday. “Many times, we agree; sometimes we don’t agree. That happens in the best families.”
