Back in January, there were reports that American intelligence officials had warned their Israeli counterparts of the risk that Mr. Trump might pass on their intelligence to the Russians. Since that warning has apparently been vindicated, the strategic ramifications both for the United States and for Israel are far-reaching.
.. Israel and Russia do not by any means agree on all Syria-related issues, and here, Israel may soon need Mr. Trump’s good offices in Moscow. Russia, in alliance with Iran, has rescued the Assad regime from likely defeat at the hands of a variety of Syrian rebels. One outcome of this may well be the establishment of not only Russian but possibly also Iranian bases in Syria. Iran is an existential enemy of Israel.
.. This month, for example, Russia informed Israel that it had agreed with Iran and Turkey to set up a safe zone, or no-fly zone, in southwestern Syria, near the Israeli border of the Golan Heights. It is possible that Moscow will entrust the task of delineating and patrolling this zone to Iranian forces. That would radically increase the risk of hostilities breaking out between Israel and Iran in this Syrian border area.
.. Mr. Netanyahu will want to recruit Mr. Trump to persuade Russia to keep Iranian militias far from the Golan border.
.. provides Mr. Netanyahu with a little extra leverage in his dealings with Mr. Trump
.. there is a strong sense here that Mr. Trump is likely to spring a surprise on Israel involving an effort to restart the peace process.
.. does that mean he now owes Israel a favor that Mr. Netanyahu can call in?
U.S. Nears Deal on Arms Coveted by Saudis
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are working on a package of arms deals and financial investments aimed at elevating economic and security cooperation between Washington and Riyadh after several years of strained relations over the U.S. diplomatic outreach to Iran.
Mr. Trump’s scheduled arrival in Saudi Arabia this week or his first stop outside the U.S. since taking office, include a missile-defense system and heavy arms the Obama administration either refused to sell Saudi Arabia or pulled back from amid concerns about Riyadh’s role in the conflict in Yemen
.. Trump’s goal is to get the Gulf states, principally Saudi Arabia, to help him achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians.
.. “every system that we’re talking about” with the Saudis maintains Israel’s military advantage over its neighbors, known formally as its Qualitative Military Edge.
.. Israel isn’t objecting to the U.S. selling an advanced antimissile system, known as Thaad, to Saudi Arabia
.. Discussions over arms sales have been assigned higher priority over economic initiatives
.. Saudi officials promising Mr. Trump they would invest $200 billion in the U.S., and the White House committing to green-light the new arms sales to Riyadh.
.. Driving the outreach between the two countries are the Saudi king’s 31-year old son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and the president’s 36-year-old son-in-law and senior White House adviser, Jared Kushner
.. “The Saudis know that the person who is trying to get Trump on our side is Kushner,” said Ahmed al-Ibrahim, a Saudi businessman and political commentator. “He is the guy who has the Middle East portfolio.”
.. The monarchy felt betrayed by the Obama administration’s conciliatory approach toward Riyadh’s No. 1 foe, Iran,
.. “The narrative of the Obama administration was that Saudi Arabia and Iran must share the region,”
.. Riyadh’s plans to open up new business opportunities for American companies in the Kingdom, stepped-up counterterrorism operations, and support for the Trump administration’s renewed campaign to forge a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
.. The presentation was created for Saudi Arabia by the U.S. consulting firm Booz Alan Hamilton, according to these officials. It was designed “to have the maximum” impact on Mr. Trump
.. Mr. Trump responded to the crown prince’s offer of $200 billion by saying he wanted much of the money to be funneled into Rust Belt states, such as Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin
Trump’s Push for Mideast Deal Perplexes Israeli Right
Many in ruling coalition, and West Bank settlers, are content with the way things are
Much of Israel’s governing coalition is pretty happy with the status quo.The Israeli economy is booming. Jewish population growth has nearly caught up with Palestinian birthrates. And the level of violence remains at historic lows. The wars ravaging the wider Middle East, meanwhile, have distracted regional attention from the Palestinians’ predicament and have even pushed countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia toward more cooperation with Israel.
.. “There is nothing more sustainable than the current situation that has already existed for 50 years and that is getting better all the time,” said retired Brig. Gen. Effie Eitam
.. That’s why Mr. Trump’s ambition to resolve the intractable dispute—a solution that would likely require Israel to accept Palestinian statehood and give up most of the territory it has occupied since 1967—has confounded Israel’s right-wing coalition ..
.. Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet—seeking to accommodate American requests—has already imposed modest new limits on West Bank settlement expansion.
That’s not something that the West Bank settlers’ leaders had expected from a Trump White House.
.. the Yesha Council, said it was disappointing that Washington still wanted to halt settlement growth instead of looking for new “out of the box” solutions.
.. it won’t be solved by one side getting an order not to build so that children [of settlers] cannot live next to their parents—while the Palestinians can build as much as they can, and are building new cities,”
.. “To be honest,” he said, “nobody knows what will happen with Trump tomorrow.”
Jared Kushner Flies to Iraq for Briefing on Anti-ISIS Strategy
Trump’s son-in-law to meet with U.S. and Iraqi officers, get briefed on the fight against Islamic State
According to a statement from Mr. Abadi’s office, the two sides discussed the battle in Mosul, international support for Iraq, as well as training and equipment issues.
.. They were joined in those meetings by Tom Bossert, a former administration official under President George W. Bush, now serving as Mr. Trump’s homeland security adviser.
.. Last month, Mr. Kushner made, for a White House official, a rare appearance at the Pentagon, where he met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman during his meeting with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
.. He has also been influential with his father-in-law on issues pertaining to Mexico and other countries, and he has been given broad authority by his father-in-law to attempt to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
.. Mr. Mattis and Gen. Dunford are completing a review of the strategy to fight the group.Trump signaled during the campaign and since assuming office that he had a plan to accelerate the fight against Islamic State, offering no details about what it might be.No plan has emerged, and it now falls to Mr. Mattis and Gen. Dunford to come up with a new strategy.
.. according to numerous U.S. officials, the strategy may largely resemble the old one, initiated under President Barack Obama, with tweaks and additions in the margins, U.S. officials said.
.. The new strategy, or a refinement of it, may include additional U.S. troops for both Iraq and Syria, possible changes that could put American soldiers closer to the front lines, and an accelerated airstrike campaign.