Understanding Donald Trump is a hazardous sort of punditry as he is mercurial, a man of contradictions, not entirely coherent in his policy pronouncements, and given to abrupt changes without explanation.
That he is now reportedly “frustrated” with Prime Minister Netanyahu is not entirely surprising (join the club). The report may be untrue – the media “reports” some rumor or scandal almost daily; most are usually forgotten the next day when what was reported does not materialize – and almost always are promoted by someone with an agenda. Stuff is made up all the time and quickly forgotten after the initial shock and outrage dissipate.
Nonetheless, if Trump’s frustration with Netanyahu is real, why would that be? And should it be a cause for concern? First, a word about Trump.
President Trump is an American patriot who rightly construes what he perceives as the best interests of the US as paramount in his considerations. He is blustery but seldom acts on his threats. He is a materialist who thinks that one’s primary objective in life is to obtain as much money and become as wealthy as possible. He is not an ideologue and has little use for ideology when it interferes with the pursuit of material gain. He will passionately espouse and try to implement a particular policy, and if it does not immediately bear fruit, he will abandon it for its antithesis with the same ardor with which he first pursued it, and without any explanation.
Trump has a positive attitude towards Jews but properly puts America First. He does not mind, and perhaps even enjoys, opposing views among his staffers, but also enables the sparring sides to feel that they each have Trump’s support. And he has always been against war, any war, which he sees as bad for business.
Above all, he prides himself on being a deal maker, with the art of the deal being the heart of the deal – not so much its implementation or consequences but the deal itself. As a real estate baron, Trump was known to renege on agreements, to hondle merchants, workers, and suppliers when the due date for payment came, and welcomed lawsuits – as plaintiff or defendant – because those were just preludes to more deal-making. Contracts and the written word were meaningful only as a guide to general principles but did not bind him if circumstances changed (which they always did, as in “the job is done, so why should I pay you?”).
That is why Trump did not hesitate to breach US trade agreements with other countries. Circumstances, to wit: his election, changed. Paradoxically, he is decisive until he changes his mind – but he does make decisions, seeks finality, and will walk away from negotiations if the prospects are strong for stalemate, no deal, or an inconclusive outcome.
Trump also wants to be seen as a winner; hence the abrupt reversal of his tariff plans when the stock market tanked. He ordered the justified, targeted assassinations of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (and good riddance to the both of them) and chalked those up as victories, even though Iran has since become an even more nefarious force and ISIS still exists. A deal with Iran, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Hamas, the PA, Saudi Arabia, the Houthis is the goal. The deal is the win, whatever happens later is incidental. That is how Trump sees the world.
Therefore, he will not tolerate endless negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, with sundry countries and their trade arrangements with the USA, or between Israel and our many adversaries. For Trump, the deck is cleared once an agreement is signed regardless of future consequences. He prides himself on being a conflict solver, especially in the short term.
By contrast, as stated here not long ago, PM Netanyahu is a conflict manager, not a conflict solver. He has made an art form of kicking the can down the road until there is no road left. What he may see as caution has become a sort of paralysis – an inability to resolve anything – which also cleverly enables him to prevail in every election promising to resolve the problems that he never resolves.
For the duration of Netanyahu’s long tenure – he has served as Israel’s prime minister far longer than FDR served as US president – he has dedicated his life to preventing an Iranian nuclear bomb, now closer than ever. Rockets and missiles have been falling on our heads incessantly throughout his term, the only change being their points of origin. Repeated mini-wars have degraded the enemy’s capabilities but never really change anything because he allows them to rebuild and become more violent and dangerous. He is no closer to judicial reform than he was fifteen years ago. And he still looks to others to fight our battles – especially to the US, as if Trump will invade Iran and destroy their reactors on our behalf. But we can rely only on our Father in Heaven and ourselves.
When the report emerged that Trump is “frustrated” with Netanyahu, I assumed it was because of Netanyahu’s hesitations in Gaza and his reluctance to do what is necessary to prevail. Even Netanyahu’s various choices for senior positions – including head of the Shin Bet and the new Chief of Staff – tend to impede his policies rather than strive to implement them, and for that he too is to blame. So if Trump’s frustration with Netanyahu stems from the latter’s inability to “finish the job,” it is a frustration shared by many Israelis.
Yet, it seems that Trump’s grievance with Netanyahu is not because of the latter’s weakness and vacillation but because of his strength, and his insistence in this case on safeguarding Israel’s vital interests. That is, Trump is reportedly “frustrated” because his goal of expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia is foundering because of Netanyahu’s rejection of Saudi demands that Israel end the war in Gaza short of victory and Israel publicly commit to the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state. Both are rightly non-starters, and to his credit – again, if the reports are accurate – Netanyahu has appropriately dismissed them. Good for him, and for us.
In the alternative, Trump has allegedly asserted, he will make a deal with Saudi Arabia that includes strategic attainments for both countries, but no recognition of Israel by the Saudis, to which I say, great. It is far better to have shared strategic objectives and an unofficial alliance with the Saudis than enter into an official agreement that endangers our future. We have survived for 3700 years without peace with the Saudis and can survive until Messiah comes without it as well.
Trump may well feel that Israel should sign any agreement, end the war, get the hostages out, withdraw from Gaza, make peace with the Saudis – and then just renege on the agreement and do what is necessary, citing “a change in circumstances.” The Saudis may want Israel’s commitment to a Palestinian Arab state to mollify the Arab street, but I am more concerned with the Jewish street, and the implications of agreeing to allow a Nazi-like foe to survive as well as renouncing a signed agreement, which will subject Israel to even more international opprobrium but now with a tinge of legitimacy.
Moreover, before these Abraham Accords are expanded, we would do well to remind ourselves of the original Abraham Accords, the covenant our forefather enacted with the Creator that promised and entrusted the descendants of Abraham with the land of Israel. That is a religious right – and a divine gift – that should not be repudiated even if Saudi Arabia agrees to open a Chabad House in Mecca. The ancient Abraham Accords are far more important, meaningful, and enduring than the current one may prove to be.
Rapprochement with the Saudis should be between two nations that respect each other’s rights, interests, values, and heritage. It should not come at the expense of the land of Israel, and certainly not by empowering an enemy still sworn to our destruction. Having good relations with the USA is an Israeli strategic interest that should not be dismissed lightly, but we should have the fortitude to say to President Trump that certain concessions are not worth our participation in any deal, and if the US and the Saudis have their own agreement, that is fine by us.
We should not say “no,” but we should say “no, thank you.” Mr. President, make your deal, reap the Saudi investment in America, address Saudi concerns about Iran, and feel like a winner. And if Trump still feels “frustrated” with Netanyahu, so be it. In that, he will echo the feelings of most Israelis and even many of Netanyahu’s supporters. At least in this case, though, PM Netanyahu’s caution here is well founded.
Rabbi Steven Pruzanskyteaches Torah in Modiin, and serves as the Senior Research Associate at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy (JCAP.ngo).