Trump floats defense alliance with Israel
President Donald Trump said he had discussed a possible new defense pact with Israel during a phone call Saturday with Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting the Israeli prime minister’s close ties to the Trump administration days before Mr. Netanyahu faces a difficult re-election vote.
Mr. Trump did not promise to install a mutual defense pact, nor divulge further details of the conversation. The idea is generally popular in Israel, where the United States is the most important ally and defense partner.
“I had a call today with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss the possibility of moving forward with a Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and Israel, that would further anchor the tremendous alliance .... between our two countries,” Mr. Trump tweeted Saturday.
The language of the tweets suggests he is contemplating a formal treaty, which would have to be submitted to the Senate for ratification.
Mr. Trump’s announcement appeared to be an attempt to bolster Mr. Netanyahu ahead of the vote Tuesday, but it fell short of the kind of grand gesture Mr. Trump had offered ahead of Mr. Netanyahu’s first major election contest this year, when Mr. Trump said the U.S. would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
“Politically speaking, this is a pretty weak gesture,” said Natan Sachs, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. “Compared to recognizing the Golan Heights, this is pretty paltry.”
Mr. Trump declined to publicly endorse Mr. Netanyahu’s promise last week to annex parts of the West Bank if he is reelected, telling reporters he had nothing to say on the matter. The president also said he strongly doubts a report last week of Israeli spying on the White House.
Mr. Trump said he looks forward to continuing the discussion about a defense pact “when we meet at the United Nations” this month.
It is not clear whether Mr. Netanyahu will attend this year’s U.N. General Assembly, which falls the week after the vote. If he wins, he is expected to attend and use the session to argue against international negotiation with Iran, something Mr. Trump has said he wants to do.
A mutual defense pact would tighten the U.S.-Israeli military alliance against Iran, which Israel considers its greatest enemy. It could obligate the U.S. to come to Israel’s defense in the event of an attack, adding an insurance policy to the alliance that would outlast Mr. Trump’s tenure. Such an agreement would also give Mr. Netanyahu a positive development to point to amid a disagreement with Mr. Trump over the value of new negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
But the idea of a pact is not universally popular. Benny Gantz, a former chief of the Israel Defense Forces and Mr. Netanyahu’s chief electoral rival, warned in a televised address Saturday that a formal security pact might “tie Israel’s hands.”
Mr. Netanyahu thanked Mr. Trump for Saturday’s announcement, tweeting that Israel “has never had a greater friend in the White House.”
In an interview, Mr. Netanyahu said the formal security pact “will be a historical deal,” and he took credit for Mr. Trump’s interest in a military treaty.
“It is another historic agreement, and I have worked for decades to bring such agreements,” Mr. Netanyahu said. A treaty, which he compared to the NATO alliance, “will bring greater security for the state of Israel.”