Trump’s Middle East fans get caught up in global blowback
Political leaders from Israel to Saudi Arabia are quickly finding out that siding with Trump comes at a price.
Middle East leaders who just days ago were cheering the inauguration of someone who appeared to share their worldview are getting rattled by the worldwide blowback against Donald Trump’s hard-edged policies.
Top officials from Israel to Saudi Arabia more or less openly welcomed the departure of Barack Obama, who they saw as too accommodating toward Iran and too friendly to revolutionaries upending the region. Their warm embrace of Trump, however, is creating its own set of problems amid an unprecedented global backlash against the new president just 10 days into his administration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first foreign leaders to get stung for too closely identifying with the new White House occupant. In a tweet published Saturday evening ahead of his Feb. 15 meeting with Trump, Netanyahu voiced support for the US president’s proposed wall with Mexico.
"President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea," said Netanyahu.
