news analysis
On the issue of war, President Trump, to a greater extent than his predecessor, shares the goals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition.
There was a time not long ago when Israel's renewed war in Gaza three weeks ago – a new offensive that has already killed more than a thousand people – might have provoked intense Western pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's prime minister.
Condemnation would come swiftly, publicly and behind the scenes. Demands for restraint would come from Europe and the White House, where for four years President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has sometimes tried, and often failed, to rein in Mr. Netanyahu’s impulses.
Now Mr Biden is gone, and President Trump has made clear he has no intention of wagging his finger at his predecessor. Europe is distracted by Mr Trump’s trade war, and Mr Netanyahu has consolidated his coalition’s majority in Israel’s parliament, giving him more political space to operate.
On Monday, Mr. Netanyahu sat next to Mr. Trump in the Oval Office as the president praised him as a “great leader.” The prime minister received no relief from the 17 percent tariffs Mr. Trump said would be imposed on Israel, a key target of his trip, and no immediate U.S. support for military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities. And he seemed at times at a loss as Mr. Trump spoke at length about trade, immigration and the U.S. economy.
But on the crucial issue of Israel’s renewed military campaign in Gaza, Mr. Trump was largely silent. He made no mention of the Israeli attack on ambulances and a fire truck that emerged last week, killing 15 emergency workers, or the April 3 strike that left dozens of people, including children, dead at a school turned into a shelter.
“I certainly think Netanyahu is trying to take advantage of what he sees as increased room to maneuver,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. She said the prime minister appeared emboldened by Mr. Trump’s silence in the face of escalating Israeli attacks in Gaza after a ceasefire that lasted just two months.
