Netanyahu is wise to wait to meet Trump; Naftali Bennett, take heed.
Some in Israeli circles believe that with the election of Donald Trump, a decisive change in Israel-US relations has taken place. These people, many of them among the pro-settler movement, believe that Trump will support more unilateral actions by Israel’s government, such as the proposal by Education Minister Naftali Bennett to annex Maale Adumim, a settlement just outside Jerusalem.
A move such as the annexation of a settlement is potentially dangerous.
Israel is not in a Trump bubble, and, at this stage it’s not even clear what that Trump bubble is. David Friedman, Trump’s nominee for US Ambassador to Israel, has not been confirmed — and steps such as annexation of territory might lead the US Congress to be harsher in its questioning of the pro-settler Friedman and may even prevent his confirmation. Trump’s administration is in the “beginning stages” of discussing whether to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, JTA reports. Note the use of the word “whether.” The administration is not in the “beginning stages” of moving the embassy, only of having the discussion.
Bennett says that Israel has “a once in a 50-year opportunity,” due to Trump’s election, TPS reports. It would behoove Bennett and like-minded people to remember that Trump says a lot, but hasn’t yet done much. During his campaign, he was long on statements but short on policy details. Israel should be careful not to make decisions based on Trump’s broad strokes.
Which is why Benjamin Netan-yahu has taken the right step in postponing consideration of the proposed Annexation Bill until he has met with President Trump and obtained the necessary information to assess whether Israel and the US have, in fact, entered a “new era,” as Bennett claims.
As was noted often during the breakdown in the personal relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama, the US-Israel relationship surpasses individual leaders. Annexation may damage that US-Israel relationship per se, not to mention the international community, which is always looking for any reason to threaten or condemn Israel. Such a move could affect the bipartisan Congressional support so important to Israel. It could affect the effectiveness of groups like AIPAC in lobbying for Israel, and could affect support from Diaspora Jews.
For all intents and purposes, Israel controls Maale Adumim, as well as the roads in and out of it. Annexation may serve only to heighten tensions between Israel and the world, Israel and its Arab neighbors, Israel and the Palestinians, and within Israeli society itself.
Instead of the grandstanding, Bennett could take a leaf out of Netanyahu’s book and learn a little circumspection.
Copyright © 2017 by the Intermountain Jewish News
