President Donald Trump will mark two years in the White House this month, a milestone that sounded unbelievable at the time but has been a dream come true for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu spent 11 years in office with Democratic US presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who — to put it mildly — did not appreciate or believe him and waged a constant war of attrition against him over the settlements he approved in the West Bank. Finally, there is a Republican on the scene — and what a Republican! Netanyahu and the entire Israeli political right welcomed Trump ecstatically. But did their expectations pan out?

Initial indications were promising, with growing pro-Israel declarations at the United Nations and a presidential visit to Israel in May 2017 that was greeted with sweeping enthusiasm. Things peaked with Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the nuclear agreement with Iran and move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. If we add to all of the above the pro-Israel advocacy by former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who is more popular with Israelis than most of the local politicians, we get a dream come true, a state of affairs that transcends all expectations and a golden age in general.

Over the past six months, however, trouble seems to have emerged in paradise. If one sets aside the settlers and the impressive control wielded by Ambassador Ron Dermer over Trump’s circle and Netanyahu himself — who calls Trump “my friend” at every opportunity — one finds other views, too. These are especially evident within Israeli defense, intelligence and diplomatic circles, where people examine Trump’s conduct from up close on a daily basis, try (to no avail) to understand his modus operandi and policies, and are extremely worried about things to come.

The first indications of Trump’s shifting policy came with his surprising announcement of a speedy US troop pullout from Syria for no obvious reason. It was followed by the Pentagon’s refusal to allow Israel to sell Croatia upgraded F-16 fighter jets and Trump’s latest amazing comment that as far as he was concerned, the Iranians “can frankly do whatever they want” in Syria. All of this, along with the tense wait for Trump’s long-touted “ultimate deal” plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, is raising the level of concern for many in Israel. “With this president,” a senior defense source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “anything could happen. For good and bad. There is no well-thought-out policy, no clear pattern of behavior, no orderly decision-making. You wake up each morning hoping for the best.”