Uncertainty as Israelis

THE ELECTION of Donald Trump was greeted with jubilation by the leaders of Israel’s right-wing. Buoyed by muscular pro-Israel statements from the president-elect and his aides throughout the campaign, and the fact that any mention of establishing a Palestinian state was expunged from the Republican platform, they confidently predicted a honeymoon with the new administration.

“Trump’s victory is a great opportunity for Israel,” said Naftali Bennett, Education Minister and leader of the hardline Jewish Home party, adding: “The age of the Palestinian state is over.”

In contrast, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not exactly effusive. While describing Mr Trump as “a true friend of Israel”, he was careful not to mention any policy overlaps. He could have been expected to rejoice at the prospect of having a Republican in the Oval Office, but Mr Netanyahu seems to be wary of President Trump.

Mr Trump’s foreign policy remains an enigma.

He has promised, like many presidential candidates before him, to defy diplomatic orthodoxy and move the US’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

He has also said that as a veteran deal-maker, he believes he can be the president who will deliver the elusive grail of an Israel-Palestine peace agreement. But before the new president is sworn in, Mr Netanyahu has more immediate worries closer to home.

“No one knows anything substantial about Trump’s policy,” warned retired Major-General Yaakov Amidror, former Israeli Security Council chief.

“Now we have to see how we can contribute to how his policy is shaped,” he added, referring to informal talks with the incoming President’s national security team, which