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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting later on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump was arranged much more hastily than such summits are usually put together. It was the diplomatic equivalent of one friend telling the other to drop by. For Netanyahu, their meeting is an opportunity to flaunt his close friendship with Trump after the U.S. president's tariff announcement spread panic around the world.
The two leaders will no doubt discuss the tariffs in their meeting but that is not why Netanyahu hurried to Washington to see the president. With all due respect to Israel's economy, other countries are more likely to see a recession first.
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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)
The meeting will first and foremost deal with Iran and the question being considered in Washington and in Jerusalem whether to take advantage of Iran's weakness and that of its proxies and attack its nuclear facilities or to force Tehran to negotiate a new nuclear deal.
The combative statements made by all leaders involved have caused tension that appears to be spreading to the Israeli public at large, which is still nervous after months of repeated air raid sirens and attacks.
In Washington, any decision will consider the possible effects of a new war on the price of oil. Trump, elected on his economic agenda, may not welcome further economic turbulence, especially not ahead of his planned visit to Saudi Arabia.
Actions on the ground, however, speak louder than words. There are mounting reports of troop movements and additional American weapons and defense systems sent to bolster Israel's security, including the THAAD missile defense system and two Patriot missile batteries, alongside other long-range missile capabilities.
Teams unloading American cargo planes at the Nevatim Air Base in the Negev say they are not short of work. THAAD, which is considered better and less costly than Israel's Arrow missile defense system, would be a vital addition should Israel come under heavy missile fire.
Another squadron of American B-2 advanced stealth bombers was deployed to the base on Diego Garcia and would act as a significant component of a potential American strike on Iran. When Trump threatens Iran with bombings "like it has never seen before" if it fails to negotiate, he does so with the knowledge that his bombers would have an effect that Israel alone could not achieve.
But the regime in Tehran seems unimpressed, at least outwardly. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran rejects the American demand of direct negotiations. The ultimatum announced by Trump has also failed to faze Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The official said Iran warned neighboring nations—including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Turkey—not to assist any American attack or even allow the use of their territory or airspace or It would be considered an act of aggression, resulting in severe repercussions.
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Iran has also raised its level of alert and the talk of a preemptive Iranian strike on American military assets in the region did not spawn out of the ether. Therefore, it would be wrong to discount the danger of miscalculation. Each side may attack if it believes the other is planning to strike.
Yossi Yehushua On Sunday, Hamas fired a barrage of 10 rockets at Ashkelon and Ashdod from central Gaza, where at least some of the Israeli hostages are believed to be held, perhaps expecting Israel to limit its response in order to avoid harm to its citizens who are still in captivity.