Sometimes, it is hard to determine what is more surprising — the steps US President Donald Trump takes in the Middle East, or the sweeping surprise with which his moves are met in Jerusalem. And what is more egregious: the Trump administration’s foreign policy in general, and Middle East policy in particular, or the policy Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sold his public (and himself) while burying his head in the sand. Netanyahu expects Israelis to believe in a profound friendship between leaders who overlook US national interests. Back in December 2018, Trump berated critics of his decision to pull the remaining US forces out of Syria and abandon the US allies in the war against the Islamic State to the mercies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “Does the USA want to be the policeman of the Middle East, getting nothing but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?” he tweeted.  

True, Netanyahu greatly appreciates the man to whose name he is always careful to append the sobriquet, “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” He even honored Trump with a large sign at the entrance to a tiny settlement in the Golan Heights — naming it “Trump Heights,” in appreciation of the US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the contested territory. Netanyahu also placed Trump at his side on giant election propaganda billboards. “Like in 1973, today we very much appreciate the important support of the US, which has greatly increased in recent years, as well as the major economic pressure that the US is using on Iran,” Netanyahu said at an Oct. 10 memorial ceremony for the fallen of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

With or without regard to Trump’s decision to abandon the Kurds to their fate, Netanyahu went on to say that Israel “will always remember and implement the basic rule that has guided us; Israel will defend itself, by itself, against any threat.” If Israel is capable of defending itself with its sophisticated military, why has Netanyahu been urging Trump to advance a US defense treaty with Israel?

Every student of international relations knows that Israel’s special relationship with the United States is a key component of Israel’s deterrence capacity and border stabilization. For years, Israel has enjoyed the prevailing view in the region that any declaration of war against it would be tantamount to declaring war on the United States. What, then, should people in the region make of the US decision to refrain from retaliating for the Iranian aggression against Saudi Arabia and the United States itself?