Frustration in Trump ranks: Israel frittering away golden opportunity

Trump officials say Israel is losing a great opportunity with a friendly American administration.

By World Israel News Staff

Trump administration officials have expressed “great frustration” at the current political struggles in Israel, daily paper Israel Hayom reports on Tuesday.

“Senior officials in the U.S. government, knowledgeable about the contacts between Israel and the U.S., said in private conversations that the political stalemate leads to the loss of a meaningful opportunity for the State of Israel,” the paper says.

Israel’s Sept. 17 elections ended in a deadlock between the Likud, led by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its main rival Blue and White, led by former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

Yesterday, the two leaders met to explore the possibility of a unity government which would involve some kind of power-sharing agreement. However, a possibility of yet a third round of elections remains.

The failure of the elections to present a clear winner will put on hold major policy decisions and likely cause the U.S. to hold off on presenting further details on its Mideast peace plan, or ‘deal of the century,’ as it’s been dubbed.

The unnamed Trump officials also said that the president and his close advisers have done many things to benefit Israel, but with U.S. elections looming, “It’s not known if they’ll remain in their positions one year or five years,” they said, according to Israel Hayom.

Historically, U.S. administrations have switched back and forth in their pro-Israel support. Typically, a pro-Israel administration is replaced with one that seeks ‘to put distance’ between the two countries.

The officials suggested that Israel needs to take into account that fact, and “the special opportunity” that comes with Trump’s presidency, the paper reported.

The officials said that there won’t be “changes to the peace plan as a result of the developments” regarding Israel’s uncertain political climate.

They also said that the peace plan will likely be delayed until a stable Israeli government is formed.

The Trump administration’s inclination to delay is also influenced by the Palestinian Authority’s rejectionism and fact that it will spurn any plan as a matter of course.

The PA has boycotted the Trump White House since December 2017, when Trump first announced he was moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, which the PA claims at least in part as the future capital of “Palestine.”

Middle East peace processTrump administration