No Iran commitment, no Trump endorsement: Netanyahu leaves US empty-handed
The Israeli prime minister described Tuesday's meeting with US President Donald Trump was the "best ever," but diplomatic sources say he left the Washington with little tangibles.
TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the July 28 meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump without a clear indication of a US strategy toward Iran or whether Washington intends, at some point, to green-light Israeli participation in the ongoing military campaign, a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor.
The source suggested that one reason for the lack of clarity might be that Trump himself remains undecided on how to proceed. Another possible reason, which should deeply worry Netanyahu, could be that Trump no longer takes Israeli concerns about Iran into account, evidence of his loss of influence.
Bitter pill
As Al-Monitor reported ahead of the White House meeting, Netanyahu's main goal in Washington was to make the case for Israel to rejoin the military campaign against Iran. The Israeli political echelon had made it clear that such reengagement would not happen without a clear request from the United States. That aside, several signals suggest that Trump is no longer listening to Netanyahu and his arguments, said the senior Israeli diplomatic source.
