I have been flooded with questions from the media and supporters-including my own children-about why President Trump signed the memorandum of understanding with Iran. Here is my understanding, in a nutshell:
1. President Trump has not flipped or abandoned Israel. His support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people is incontestable. I have published a list of the things he did during his first term and thus far in his second term.
2. President Trump has decided that winning the November midterm elections and preventing the Democrats from taking control of Congress is of paramount importance, given the certainty that, if this were to happen, the opposition would seek to impeach him and derail his administration's foreign and domestic policies for the remainder of his second term. That the Democratic Party has lost its collective mind is also incontestable.
3. Because American voters vote their pocketbooks, not security or foreign policy issues, and are tired of wars, President Trump believes that, to have a chance of winning the midterms, he needs to put the Iran war on pause for the time being, reduce inflation, lower energy and food prices, keep the stock market booming, stabilize global markets, etc. This is how he sees American interests at this time, and I agree.
4. The MOU is only an agreement to negotiate and to maintain a ceasefire for the time being. President Trump still holds all the cards and can determine how much he is willing to ease the U.S. stranglehold on Iran and its proxies.
5. President Trump excluded Israel from the MOU, which, either by design or by default, gives Israel a free hand to protect its vital national security interests in Lebanon, Syria, and even Iran.
6. I don't like the content of the MOU or the tone of certain statements from the White House defending it, but that's politics in an election year. The bottom line is that the relationship between Israel and the U.S. is strong and inviolable. Israel will protect its interests, and the U.S. will protect the American people, including the 750,000 U.S. citizens living in Israel.
This is the only explanation that makes sense to me.
I have faith in President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Almighty God. Have a restful Shabbat and a great weekend.
Marc Zell is the Vice President of Republicans Overseas and the Chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.