Defend and befriend — Bibi’s careful balancing act

Netanyahu said that he won’t withdraw from Southern Lebanon. But he agreed to Trump‘s request that Israel not bomb Beirut.

Bibi is being careful to stand strong on Israel’s need to stay in southern Lebanon, while at the same time not antagonizing or picking a fight with Trump.

It’s a careful balancing act. It’s sort of saying to the US, we respect you, we appreciate what you’ve done, and we can try to accommodate you to a certain extent. But at the same time, we have our defense needs, and we need to defend Israel.

And the administration seems to understand that. According to reports, the US floated to Israel the idea of withdrawing from Lebanon, but Israel refused. So now we are not seeing any public statements from the US about the need for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.

Bibi is very diplomatically saying: yes but no. And even though Trump has laced into him, Bibi continues to show signs of respect and appreciation to the US. It’s a careful diplomatic balancing act, and a very strategic and constructive approach.

At this point it’s not clear whether the US and Iran will complete a deal. If they do, and the uranium is removed or diluted, then that’s good.

And if they don’t, then everyone knows that Israel waits in the wings, ready to attack Iran if necessary.

Either way, the prognosis looks good. Israel is standing strong. So even as the US and Iran sit down to negotiate, the elephant in the room is Israel. Israel is a superpower in the Middle East, and everyone knows that Israel‘s viewpoint and dominance hangs over the negotiations.

Israel is standing strong, as the Jewish people unite, and as the Almighty watches over His chosen nation and protects them.