Is President Donald Trump pro-Israel? Color us skeptical. We comment specifically now, as he prepares to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. It is a bold, welcome, important move. It sends two clear messages: Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, and Israel is strong — it has America’s backing. The two messages add up to one: Israel is not going away.
However, the bottom line definition of being pro-Israel is strengthening Israel’s security. Right now, the biggest threat to Israel’s security is Iran, and the biggest locus of that threat is Syria. With or without a nuclear agreement, with or without an Iranian pursuit of a nuclear weapon, in 2018 the biggest threat from Iran is from Syria.
Syria is destabilized. Syria is ripe for intervention by any country. Israel is ripe for being dominated militarily by others. Syria borders Israel. An Iranian military presence in Syria is a direct threat to Israel and a likely source of war. Iran is explicitly sworn to Israel’s destruction. An Iranian military presence in Syria, especially one close to Israel’s border, is a threat to Israel’s existence.
Where a world leader stands on Syria defines whether he or she is pro-Israel in a much more material, immediate and important way than where one stands on embassies in Jerusalem. Where does Donald Trump stand on Syria? Not, the signals seem to say, in Israel’s corner.
True enough, one never knows where Trump stands on specific foreign policies because he speaks inconsistently. We should be most pleased if Trump acts against his own statements and stays the course in Syria; that is, keeps American troops there, keeps the military pressure on Assad regardless of the Russian and Iranian presence in Syria, and clearly states that a permanent Iranian military base in Syria is unacceptable to the US.
This would be vital not only for Israel but for the US. If the US backs away from Syria, that will leave Israel in the likely position of having to wage war at least against an Iranian base in Syria. We say “at least,” because a war between these two nations would likely draw in other nations — including the US.
But where does President Trump stand? Every statement he makes indicates that the minute the US has defeated the last pocket of ISIS in Syria, the US is pulling out — let the chips fall where they may. This is irresponsible, since a regional Middle East war that could involve Russia is diametrically opposed to US interests. In any event, this is not being pro-Israel.
It is obvious that the right way to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is vital, and requires immediate action. But that is only because it takes time to build a nuclear weapon and a suitable delivery system. The threat itself, however, is not immediate. The Iranian threat in Syria is immediate.
No doubt, Trump is working with Israel on the Iran nuclear matter. Chicken and egg: It is anyone’s guess whether the press conference that Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu staged this week was his own idea or Trump’s; either way, Netanyahu promoted Trumpagenda as much as his own. That shared agenda is to act against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, whether by cancelling the nuclear deal or in some other way.
All these optics of Israeli-American closeness notwithstanding, we are watching Trump for what he does in Syria. The American-led bombing of Assad’s chemical weapons facility was constructive. But one-time responses to outrageous but militarily limited atrocities in Syria will not put an end to the major, immediate threats from Syria, and these risks rise to the threat of all out war. Israel is simply not going to allow a major Iranian military presence nearby, no matter what. If further evidence were needed of Israel’s determination to protect itself from Iran in Syria, this week’s bombing of Iranian forces in Syria provided it. (We assume Israel did it.)
Is Donald Trump pro-Israel? The coming celebration in Jerusalem is glorious, the agreement between the two countries on the long-range nuclear threat from Iran is important and welcome, but the fulcrum is Syria. Watch that. It’s far more telling than an embassy relocation or any other American move in the Middle East just now.
Copyright © by the Intermountain Jewish News
Ms. Goldberg,
If you wish to color anybody restrict it to yourself. Rarely have I read such uninformed drivel plumbing the depth of dumbth. Among the treasure trove of idiocy, your statement that Israel was ripe to be dominated militarily by others is the pinnacle of stupidity. I venture to guess that for you the previous unlamented president, the “infallible” Barack Hussein Obama, was the model of a staunch supporter of Israel, disregarding all his anti-Semitic tendencies as well as his friendship with “Minister” Farrakhan.
Disrespectfully,
Rob Alexander
Mr Alexander, thank you for your feedback. The article is written by the editorial staff not by myself. My mistake and I’ve now updated the author.
It is painful to read.
This editorial is poorly written and needs to be largely reworked.