Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on April 7 was described in Israel both as an embarrassing failure and a brilliant success, depending on the identity of the commentator, and his/her prior expectations.
According to media reports, Netanyahu’s impromptu April 6 trip from Budapest – where he was on an official visit – to Washington, reportedly on a spur-of-the-moment invitation by Trump, was designed primarily to deal with the effect on Israel of Trump’s declared worldwide trade war. But it also dealt with the issue of Iran’s nuclear capability, the continuing war in the Gaza Strip, and the hostage issue.
Against this background of expectations, what actually transpired in the Trump-Netanyahu talks, followed by a meeting with the American and Israeli media, suggested that from an Israeli perspective, the event was a total failure.
First of all, Trump refused to back off from the 17% tariff he had imposed on Israeli exports to the US, adding a comment that Israel should not complain but be grateful for $4 billion of military aid it receives annually from the US.
Regarding Iran’s nuclear plans, Trump announced that the US was about to open direct talks with the Iranian government on the following Saturday, April 12. Trump added that if the talks would fail, Iran “will be in great danger” – implying that there would be an attack on Iran, but adding that Israel would “be the leader” in such an attack.
As is well known, Netanyahu has always been against negotiations and agreements with Iran about its nuclear activities, preferring the use of force to destroy Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It was Netanyahu who had convinced Trump, during his first term as president, to back out of the agreement signed by president Barack Obama with Iran.
Netanyahu apparently heard about the new talks with Iran just before he and Trump met the media. However, this did not prevent his glum facial expression, while Trump gleefully informed the press of the prospective talks.
On the one hand, Trump used the hostage issue to give Netanyahu what seemed like a backhanded compliment, suggesting that the latter is doing his utmost to release the hostages, and ought to be appreciated for this in Israel “because he’s been a great leader.” (In fact, most Israelis do not believe that Netanyahu is doing his utmost on this issue.)
On the other hand, what the president said about Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared as a careless blow below the belt. Trump commented that he likes Erdogan, and that Erdogan likes him, even though Erdogan had declared in a mosque in Istanbul the previous week that “I wish that destruction and ruin will befall Israel and Zionism, following what it is doing in Palestine.”
In addition, Erdogan repeatedly refers to Israel as a “terrorist state” that threatens “the stability of the region,” with special reference to Lebanon and Syria, while acting in a “barbaric manner” against civilians in Gaza.
Regarding the tensions between Turkey and Israel, Trump merely stated that if Netanyahu has a problem with Turkey, he should turn to him, and that he thinks he will be able to solve it, “as long as you [i.e., Netanyahu] are reasonable”.
Netanyahu's spin
AS HE boarded his plane back to Israel, Netanyahu put a positive spin on his visit, which he described as “very warm and friendly.”
Although he had been surprised by Trump’s announcement about the talks with Iran, he emphasized that they both agree that Iran should be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons, and that if the talks should fail, the military option should be adopted.
Netanyahu expressed gratitude for Trump’s statement that he (Bibi) was working hard to bring the hostages back home. He added that they had spoken about finding target states willing to absorb large numbers of Gazans “because that is what should happen.” Netanyahu also spoke positively of Trump’s offer to help with his relations with Erdogan.
Regarding trade relations between Israel and the US, Netanyahu added that he had told Trump that Israel would reduce the US trade deficit with Israel to zero, and that Trump had expressed gratitude for this. “This is the least we can do for the US and its president, who does so much for us,” Netanyahu said.
According to Israeli figures, in 2024 Israel imported goods and services worth $15.8 billion ($9.1 billion of goods, and $6.7 billion of services), and exported $37.2 billion worth ($14.3 billion of goods and $22.9 billion of services) – a positive trade balance of $21.4 billion in Israel’s favor.
Even if Israel were to pay for all the weapons it receives from the US for free through military aid, its positive trade balance with the US would still be vast.
It is clear that Netanyahu was trying to please Trump and avoid a semblance of what had happened to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the White House on February 28. Zelensky refused to accept Trump’s disrespectful and patronizing conduct toward him and was expelled from the White House.
However, Netanyahu’s sucking up to Trump on this issue was truly embarrassing, especially since Trump’s declaration of a trade war on all (now being delayed by nine months) doesn’t make any economic sense, and Netanyahu’s “concession” doesn’t make any sense either.
In fact, government officials in Israel responsible for Israel’s trade with the US have no clue how Israel’s trade gap with the US can be abolished without damaging Israel’s economic interests.
In an article on the highlights of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting, Alex Traiman, CEO and Jerusalem bureau chief of the right-wing Jewish News Syndicate, mentioned that Trump had spoken again of his plan to move one million Palestinians or more out of the Gaza Strip to other countries.
According to Trainman, this would shift “the entire balance of power within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, turning Palestinians from a demographic threat between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea into an ethnic minority.”
Traiman added that Trump had also criticized Ariel Sharon’s 2005 disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip. “I don’t understand why Israel ever gave it up,” Trump had stated. “Israel owned it… They took oceanfront property, and they gave it to people for peace. How did that work out? Not good,” adding that Netanyahu would never have approved such a plan.
Really?
The writer has written both journalistic and academic articles, and several books, on a variety of subjects, including international relations, Zionism, Israeli politics, and parliamentarism. From 1994-2010, she worked in the Knesset library and the Knesset Research and Information Center.