In the Middle East, nothing is ever straightforward, and so it was.
Benjamin Netanyahu had barely landed back in Tel Aviv when his friend in the White House was launching a stinging attack upon the man at the top of Israeli politics.
No, not Netanyahu, who Donald Trump continues to treat as a close friend.
No, the target of Trump‘s ire was Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog.
The American leader said that Herzog should be “ashamed of himself” for failing to pardon Netanyahu, who hasn’t actually been convicted of anything.
Netanyahu certainly has been accused of crimes by the courts in Israel, namely bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The criminal action against him has been rolling on for nearly six years, interrupted constantly by delays and excuses.
The Israeli prime minister has regularly failed to turn up for court, citing the argument that running his country takes up a lot of his time.
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He always maintained that he wanted to prove his innocence in court, but then, at the end of last year, he formally requested a pardon for the charges.
He said the case had become a distraction; his opponents insisted that “only the guilty ask for a pardon”.
By this time, Trump had already laid the ground, making it clear that he thought a pardon was deserved.
As a president who has issued pardons to the best part of 2,000 people, charged or convicted, over the past year, he might think it’s a pretty straightforward job. The Israeli president seems to disagree.
Herzog issued a statement that made it clear that the legal process behind the decision was long and unwieldy, and that he couldn’t just make up his mind for himself.
He also said he “deeply appreciates President Trump”, the man who had just told Herzog he should be ashamed of himself.
It’s hard to imagine what level of insult it would take for an Israeli politician to actually publicly condemn Trump, but we’re not there yet.
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But there are tensions.
This was Netanyahu’s sixth visit to Washington DC since Trump’s return to office, but it was the lowest profile.
He arrived with no fanfare, and there was no press conference after the meeting.
The nuances were clear, though.
Netanyahu, along with colleagues in the Israeli cabinet, is worried that the Americans will end up going soft on Iran, giving them a deal on nuclear enrichment, easing sanctions and doing nothing to limit their arsenal of ballistic missiles or their control of proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen.
“I will not hide from you that I expressed general scepticism about the nature of any agreement with Iran,” said Netanyahu, possibly the most critical comment he has ever made about Trump.
Moments later, as if to mollify the American, he described him as “a great friend of the State of Israel, who was like no other”.
There is no hiding the schism that now lies between these two countries, for so long, so allied.
Israel is desperate for action against Iran’s growing stockpile of missiles, America is focused on stopping nuclear enrichment.
JD Vance has poured a lot of cold water on the US taking military action, fearful of American casualties should Iran respond by targeting the country’s various bases in the Middle East.
Which, almost certainly, it would.
Israel, behind the scenes, is making plans for what would happen if it felt it had to take unilateral action, and that still needs the buy-in of Trump’s administration.
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Even if the Americans don’t actually fire the weapons, for instance, would they be prepared to restock the missiles that are crucial to Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system?
You’d assume the answer is yes, but do we know that for sure?
But Netanyahu must tread carefully.
He has a general election later this year, and he is certainly not guaranteed to be prime minister beyond it.
He is not only facing criminal charges in Israel, but he is also indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court.
There are many countries he cannot visit for fear of being arrested.
Israel’s prime minister is a pariah in the eyes of many, with very, very few high-profile diplomatic friends, other than one – the most powerful man in the world.
