The Israeli and American tag team demolition of Iranian military power plainly changed the face of the Middle East. Both countries played a vital role in the historic takedown of a common enemy and shared a mutual concern over the dangers of a nuclear Iran. Yet both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have also publicly stated that the effective removal of the Iranian threat – at least for the time being – presents opportunities for resolving issues that have long plagued the region. And therein lies the rub.
Although we believe President Trump has the healthiest respect for Israel’s contributions to the joint effort, we also believe that in his view, the U.S. was the indispensable party, making it all possible. And in his view, the radically changed circumstances in the region means that Israel is in a position to – and should – facilitate regional peace by compromising on some of its core interests and accommodating his positions as to how best to move forward. Think “normalization” between Israel and Arab states and expansion of the Abraham Accords.
To that end, he well might be expecting Israel to go along with the supposed Arab wish list, including the survival of Hamas (albeit in a substantially diminished form); Israel’s acceptance of a so-called two state solution to the Israel/Palestinian conflict; Jerusalem serving as the shared capital of Israel and a Palestinian entity; and the surrender of the Golan to Syria to enable a deal with that country.
Yet Israel was also an essential party to Iran’s degrading and earned the right to pursue its vital interests in ways in which it sees fit. And Donald Trump can – and we think will – understand and honor that. That sort of relationship is important for both countries going forward. Israel has now more than proven its value to the pursuit of America’s vital interests in the Middle East. Has anyone heard from China and Russia about the Middle East lately?
