Netanyahu wins bigly from his meeting with Trump

Binyamin netanyahu might consider hiring Donald Trump as his campaign manager. The Israeli prime minister is facing a tough re-election battle in 2026. On his visit to Mar-a-Lago, the American president’s Florida home, on December 29th, Mr Trump gushed that Mr Netanyahu is “a wartime prime minister at the highest level”. With others in charge, he insisted, “Israel right now would not exist.” Israel’s beleaguered prime minister could not have written better election slogans himself.

For Mr Netanyahu, who is lagging in most polls, the perception of a unique partnership with the president is crucial—or so he believes. Mr Trump backed up his warm words with an invitation to his New Year’s Eve bash. He also claimed that he had spoken to Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, about Mr Netanyahu’s demand for an end to his corruption trial, promising that a pardon was “on its way”. Mr Herzog’s office denied such a conversation had taken place. But that hardly mattered.

The visit may have been a resounding success personally and politically for Mr Netanyahu, but the diplomatic gains for Israel are much less clear. In preparing for the meeting, Israeli officials set out two main objectives. First, they wanted a clear commitment from the president that America would not start reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip before Hamas, the Islamist militants who now control the parts of Gaza from which Israel has withdrawn, have disarmed completely. (Israel also wants the last body of a hostage in Gaza to be returned before the next phase of Mr Trump’s peace plan begins.)

Second, Israel wanted assurances from Mr Trump that Turkey, a rival to Israel for influence in the Middle East, would not join the international security force planned for Gaza. On both counts, the normally forthright president was equivocal.

Mr Trump emphasised that Hamas had “a very short period of time to disarm” and that, if it did not, “there will be hell to pay.” But he did not make this a condition of proceeding to the next phase of his peace plan. And in private, American officials say that they are planning to roll out the reconstruction project “within weeks”, while acknowledging that the disarmament of Hamas will take much longer.

Mr Trump’s remarks on Turkey were even more disappointing from Mr Netanyahu’s perspective. He lavished praise on Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him “a very good friend” and saying that Turkish troops in Gaza remain under discussion. Still worse for the Israeli prime minister, Mr Trump said he is considering selling advanced f-35 stealth fighter-jets to the Turks. Israel fears that will erode its current advantage as the only nation in the region flying the planes.

There was some comfort for Mr Netanyahu in the form of tough talk on Iran, which Israel claims has ramped up ballistic-missile production since the 12-day war in June. “I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” suggested Mr Trump; if so, “We’ll knock the hell out of them.” But he also emphasised that he would prefer a deal with the Iranians to another attack.

At lunch in Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump listed all the peace deals he claims to have brokered. “Do I get credit for it? No,” he grumbled. Mr Netanyahu comforted him that while he may have missed out on the Nobel peace prize, he will receive the Israel prize for helping the Jewish people. Mr Trump insists he has ended Israel’s wars in Gaza and with Iran, so will think this well deserved. But if the president considers the job done, he may not offer Israel the security guarantees Mr Netanyahu demands, whatever the personal political gains for the prime minister. ■