Trump’s grip on the GOP leaves Netanyahu with few places to turn
When previous U.S. presidents sought to tie the hands of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader often exploited rifts in U.S. politics to find a friendlier ear in Washington and wriggle free from constraints placed on him.
But Netanyahu is finding that there is no higher court of appeals in his face-off with President Donald Trump, who has a viselike grip over his party — at a time when Democrats have little or no sympathy for the Israeli leader.
Trump in recent days has been asserting blunt power over Israel in a way no other president has in decades, declaring on Monday that he had forced Netanyahu to turn around an attack that had already been launched against Iran by telling him he would otherwise “end up alone” against Tehran.
The result is an unusually public breach between two leaders who have forged a strong alliance while often facing opprobrium from other nations. But now their domestic political agendas are diverging: Trump wants a quick end to the Iran war, while Netanyahu faces pressure to push on toward total victory against Tehran.
Trump’s warning that he might withhold support for Israel was a departure from long-standing U.S. practice of backing Israel against Iran under almost any circumstance. Netanyahu played a major part in persuading Trump to take part in the initial February attack on Iran.
The complex dynamic between the two leaders could help define the future of the Middle East for a generation, with each propelled by internal considerations toward different goals. [Continue reading…]