“The greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of US President Donald Trump. The occasion was the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages, as part of the ceasefire agreement intended to end the war that began on October 7 2023 with an attack by Hamas-led militants.
Trump described Netanyahu as “one of the greatest” wartime leaders. Apparently departing from his prepared text (it was remarkable that he had one), Trump also called on the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, who faces corruption charges in hearings that have been postponed during the conflict with Hamas. “That was not in the speech, as you probably know,” Trump joked.
Netanyahu may be right in his assessment of Trump — for now. Given the number of promises Trump has failed to keep, such as ending the Russia-Ukraine war as soon as he took office in January, he must be taking great pleasure in what is being widely described, if reluctantly, as his personal triumph in getting the Israelis and Hamas to stop fighting.
But you never know with Trump.
Since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the US has been the ultimate guarantor of its right to exist, and the world has known this very well. So Israel has not felt entirely alone amid the anger directed at it for military actions that have caused the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza.
But Israel has also felt uneasy. There were times when Trump put great pressure on Netanyahu and did not treat him, in tone or apparently in policy, as an ally. Perhaps that was what brought Israel to the bargaining table: take the wave when it comes, there may not be another.
Perhaps people in the US and elsewhere support Trump because his intellectual incoherence makes him accessible
Unlike any US president since 1948, Trump surely cannot be counted on to always uphold the right of Israel to exist. He has the attention span of a lightning bolt and can change his mind at any time. He acts according to whim rather than strategy or policy. The bizarre performance by Trump and his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, in front of their summoned generals and admirals makes one fear for the future of the world.
As a leader, Trump has some obvious strengths. He is bursting with self-confidence; what other leader would demand to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? He is a superb performer on television in terms of presentation, which renders content irrelevant. He has high energy and a feel for creating sound bites (and visual ones). He is never thrown by a question. He knows how to hog the camera.
And Trump is authentic, even when he changes his mind. Bigoted and irrational, yes; also ignorant, unpredictable and dangerous. Economically illiterate, without doubt.
But nobody expects him to be consistent. He really believes what he says — until he believes the opposite, or forgets, or is flattered by someone to change his mind. He is honest, in the way that a dog is honest when it barks at the neighbours, or wags its tail at the prospect of a walk; no shred of policy there.
Perhaps people in the US and elsewhere support Trump because his intellectual incoherence makes him accessible. Many do support him strongly on a particular issue — as in the transgender controversy, and now in his dealings with Israel — and ignore the frightful damage he is doing in other areas.
He is like a stopped analogue clock, which still shows the correct time twice a day. That doesn’t make it a good clock.
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