And he has been courting him with phone calls. Only last month, Trump bragged of almost daily conversations with Netanyahu, saying he has a very good relationship with the Israeli leader. He told a rally: “Bibi called me yesterday, called me the day before.” He added that Netanyahu “wants my views on things.” And he promised he would work very closely with Bibi once back in the White House.
Despite the punchy line on stopping wars, Trump seems open to more Israeli action. The president-elect has also said Netanyahu must “finish the problem” in its war against Hamas. During the campaign, Trump criticized the Biden administration for opposing any idea of Israel striking Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities in response to an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Lawmakers from Netanyahu’s Likud party, as well as the far-right and religious nationalists in his rambunctious coalition, have been pushing for military operations to be maintained at full tilt until Hamas has been obliterated. They have also been dismissive of Biden and European demands for a “day after” plan in Gaza involving genuine negotiations for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
During a visit to the U.S. Congress at the end of July, Netanyahu paid tribute to Trump, thanking him for everything he had done for Israel during his first term. That was a reference to the bonanza Israel received from Trump — including his decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, his withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, and his recognition of both illegal settlements in the West Bank and Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
Earlier this year, Shtrauchler told POLITICO that his former boss had packed into his planning the chances of Trump securing reelection. Now he said: “Bibi’s playbook is being fulfilled. He’s getting to the end of the year with a broader political coalition; he’s strong in Lebanon; he’s finished off Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and others, and he’s got Trump in the White House.”
With Biden gone, there will likely be few constraints on Netanyahu. Not that he or his aides reckon that Trump will always see eye-to-eye with Netanyahu and will give him total free rein. “Trump is always transactional and will put his interests first and is highly unpredictable,” said a senior Israeli official, speaking confidentially. “But their thinking and instincts are much more aligned than Netanyahu’s were with Biden,” he added.
While Trump’s win was greeted with glee by right-wing politicians in Israel, the reactions from Lebanese leaders and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were much more subdued. Abbas congratulated Trump and added in a statement: “We are confident that the United States will support, under your leadership, the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
