Trump, Pompeo ride to Netanyahu’s rescue
The US-mediated normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates and the visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo help Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shift public attention away from the multiple crises he faces.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his office on Aug. 24, he was also in an exhausting battle with Defense Minister Benny Gantz. The fight could have ended with a decision to dissolve the Knesset, sending the country off to a fourth round of elections. Late in the evening, Netanyahu and Gantz accepted a compromise for delaying the duel on the budget by 120 days.
Netanyahu likely found some solace yesterday in his meeting with his old friend Pompeo. Not only is Pompeo the personal representative of US President Donald Trump, he is also an important Netanyahu ally in his own right. Pompeo arrived in Israel as part of a series of visits to the region to advance the peace treaty with the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, he was dropping by to lend Netanyahu a hand during one of the toughest moments of his career.
After a long meeting in Netanyahu’s office, the two were all smiles as they came downstairs to face the cameras and deliver a number of joint statements. Their body language was warm and intimate despite the masks both men wore.
Pompeo clarified to the press that Israel’s security interests would not suffer amid recent reports that as a result of the new agreement, the United States plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to the Emiratis. The prime minister has already spent several days defending the normalization agreement and explaining that he did not sell out Israel’s security for an American arms deal, despite what his rivals claim.
