President Trump will permit the US military about four months—three more than he had announced initially—to withdraw the 2,000 special force troops in Syria, administration officials told the NY Times on Monday. A senior Israeli political source who spoke to journalists in Brazil said on Monday that Prime Minister Netanyahu was behind the switch, having asked Trump that the US withdrawal from Syria be more gradual.
On Monday morning, Trump tweeted: “I am the only person in America who could say that, ‘I’m bringing our great troops back home, with victory,’ and get BAD press. It is Fake News and Pundits who have FAILED for years that are doing the complaining. If I stayed in Endless Wars forever, they would still be unhappy!”
Four months is the time the military had asked for following the Trump withdrawal announcement, to allow time to decide which equipment to move elsewhere in the region, leave behind with allies or destroy so it won’t fall in enemy hands, the Times said.
So, it’s not at all clear whether Netanyahu introduced the US president to the idea of a 120-day pullout or merely added his voice to others around Trump who counseled a more patient pullout.
Meanwhile, speaking to Israeli reporters in Rio de Janeiro Monday, Netanyahu made clear his own pullout—from the PM’s seat—was not to be expected any time soon.
The Prime Minister stated that he had no intention of resigning – even if he is invited to a hearing in cases of which he is the accused. “There are three reasons for this,” he said at the press conference in Brazil. “First of all, I believe that nothing will come of it, I have not changed my position; second, Israel is a country of laws, and according to the law, the prime minister does not have to resign in the process of hearing; third, the hearing does not end until you hear my side – so it makes no sense to start a hearing before the elections if you can’t finish it before the election.”
In a democracy, whoever is in power will be determined according to the ballot box and not according to a partial legal process,” Netanyahu argued. “The logical and fair thing is not to start a process of a hearing – should there be one – before the elections, if you can’t complete it before the elections.”
Netanyahu addressed Israel’s law enforcement agencies, saying, “What happens if a prime minister is deposed on the basis of a hearing, and then it turns out that the case was closed? This would be a blatant interference in democracy in such a case. But it’s not a legal matter, it’s a matter of common sense, of logic. I can influence only one thing – having the citizens go to the polls.”
The PM also praised his relationships with world leader, citing Russian president Vladimir Putin who said that it was their close personal relationship that prevented a clash between their two armies from a confrontation in Syria.
Netanyahu reiterated that he had met with a number of Arab world leaders, some of them in secrecy. “I can say that I am meeting with many Arab leaders,” he said, noting he can’t say which Arab country would be the next to normalize relations with Israel. “It will not take a long time, I meet with them a lot – all the time,” he said. “When it happens, I will invite you [to cover it].”