Israeli officials hope Trump wins second term

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his hope that US President Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House, Anadolu reported on Monday.

Praising Trump’s Middle East policy, Netanyahu said: “I can only hope that this policy that isolates Iran and brings the fruits of peace, peace grounded in reality to the people of Israel, to the Arab peoples of the region; I can only hope that this policy will continue in the coming years.”

After taking office, Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. This was approved of strongly by Netanyahu, as was Trump’s decisions to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as well as Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The US president also expanded scientific and technological cooperation with Israel to include West Bank settlements. All of Israel’s settlements are illegal under international law.

According to Israeli Intelligence Affairs Minister Eli Cohen, further normalisation deals could depend on the next US president displaying such continued “resolve” against Iran. Cohen told Ynet TV that Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Morocco and Niger are “on the [normalisation] agenda.” If the Trump policy continues, he added, there will be additional agreements.

While not explicitly favouring either US candidate, Haaretz reported, Cohen argued that Trump’s policy had prompted Arab and Muslim countries to seek accommodation with Israel. If the next president “does not show resolve vis-a-vis Iran, then what will happen is that they will take their time, will not rush, will not choose a side,” concluded the minister. “A concessionary policy will get the peace deals struck.”

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