Prof. Gabi Siboni, a colonel in the reserves and researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said Monday in an interview with Tal Meir that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will try to navigate between American pressure and Israel’s security interests in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran during his expected meeting with President Donald Trump.
1+According to Siboni, Israel now needs to proceed carefully with Trump, who he says struggles to understand the complexity of events in the Middle East. “We’re dealing with a guy for whom this event is too big in several respects. I’m afraid that even Israel’s leadership has trouble understanding him, but is acting brilliantly in the face of this event.”
Siboni argued that Trump gave Israel significant credit to act in the past, especially in Gaza and Iran, but now a shift in his policy is evident. “Sometimes it works, like when he went with us and gave us credit in Gaza, and went with us on Iran, but now we’re seeing how he operates,” he said.
1+Siboni described how Netanyahu will try to “square the circle” with the American president, attempting to preserve Israeli freedom of action without getting into a head-on confrontation with Washington. He predicted: “When it reaches a point where there’s a hard Israeli security interest, both in Iran and in Lebanon, Israel will act.”
On the Lebanese front, Siboni said Israel is in a complex situation, but according to him, the talks with Lebanon have actually created a significant strategic opening. “They managed to make lemonade from this lemon,” he said. “In the end, a wedge was inserted between Iran and Lebanon, and I hope it will be widened between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government as well.”