In a wide-ranging interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, former Israeli ambassador Yoram Ettinger offered a pointed analysis ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. Ettinger emphasized the need for Netanyahu to clearly warn Trump against engaging diplomatically with Iran, highlighting the ideological nature of the Iranian regime and its longstanding hostility to the West.
"I have no doubt that the prime minister comes to a well-coordinated session with the American president," Ettinger told Arutz Sheva, noting that much of the coordination between the two leaders happens behind the scenes.
Still, he urged Netanyahu to speak plainly about the dangers of Western-style negotiations with Tehran. "Trump wants to be seen as a peacemaker - but there can be no making peace with the epicenter of terrorism in Tehran."
"Contrary to the Western perception of negotiation as a path to reconciliation," Ettinger said, "the Ayatollah regime sees it as a tactic to stall for time and rebuild military capabilities—ballistic, conventional, and nuclear." He warned that such talks only give Iran space to prepare for future aggression, particularly against what it calls the "Great American Satan."
On the ongoing war in Gaza, Ettinger doubted Trump would pressure Netanyahu to halt operations, citing Arab allies’ growing concerns about Hamas. "Trump has been made aware by the Saudis, Emiratis, Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan that Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood—a direct threat to every pro-American Arab regime in the region," he said.
Ettinger also criticized isolationist tendencies among some in Trump’s inner circle. He argued that the United States cannot ignore Middle Eastern threats, as radical Islamist groups do not confine their ambitions to the region. “The options faced by the U.S. are to fight Islamic terrorism in the Middle East trenches or on American soil,” he said. He added that the Islamic regime had already begun to surround the USA - in Central and South America, and even within the United States.
Turning to Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, Ettinger supported calls for Netanyahu to raise the issue with Trump. He pointed to past promises of a "statement about sovereignty" that never materialized and warned against reviving Trump's “Deal of the Century,” which he said implicitly supports a Palestinian state.
“Post-1967 Israel, controlling Judea and Samaria, has become a major strategic asset for the U.S. It is the first line of defense against the Islamic regime both for America and all its Arab allies,” Ettinger explained. “A Palestinian state would destabilize Jordan and turn it into a launchpad for Islamic terrorism, threatening Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and beyond.”
He also dismissed Arab support for a Palestinian state as largely rhetorical. "In talk, they support it. In action, they do nothing. Not one Arab country has done anything for a Palestinian state since 1949," he said, recounting how Palestinian factions have historically engaged in intra-Arab terrorism, subversion, and treachery across the Arab world, from Egypt and Syria to Jord an and Kuwait. "If there was to be a Palestinian state, they could expect to know other behavior from it."
Finally, Ettinger addressed Israel’s posture toward the U.S., encouraging a strong but independent stance. “The U.S. is Israel’s number one ally, rooted in shared biblical and historical values. But Israel must act in its own interest,” he said. He cited past Israeli leaders—Ben-Gurion, Golda, Begin, Shamir—who resisted American pressure. “Defying pressure yields short-term friction, but long-term respect.”