Trump won’t Save the Day

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To my Israeli friends who are counting on America, led by Trump, to save them from the war they have started with Iran, I ask you to consider the following excerpt which is paraphrased and edited from a David Frum interview:

“Trump loves talk. One other thing that the Israelis need to keep in mind, and my friends in the pro-Israel community need to keep in mind, Trump betrays everyone who trusts him, with one exception, and that is Vladimir Putin.

He’s betrayed his creditors. He’s betrayed his investors. He’s betrayed his wives. He’s betrayed his children. He’s betrayed NATO. He’s betrayed Ukraine. He’s betrayed virtually everyone who worked with him in his previous administration. He will betray Israel, too. Be wary of putting your trust in him. And Israel’s in a very exposed position.

Israel has begun a war with magnificent strategic and tactical successes in the skies of Iran, but it doesn’t have an obvious way to bring the war to a successful conclusion. Israel no doubt was counting on Trump to help them. They must have relied on indications. But this two weeks that Trump has announced, Trump has put it off by two weeks [a decision to join Israel], that’s what Trump does when he’s about to fold his cards, he delays.” – David Frum interviewed on MSNBC June 19, 2025

This war is costing Israel hundreds of millions of dollars a day. Every missile intercepted by the Arrow anti-missile system costs at least $4 million. Not to mention the cost of ammunition, fuel, and maintenance required for multiple daily sorties over thousands of kilometers. Israel cannot afford for this war to drag on, the cost is simply too high. The direct cost to Israel for the week past, and another two weeks will exceed $6 billion or about 4% of its annual budget. That is not to forget the indirect costs. The economy has ground to a halt over the last week and will not restart until the war ends.  Restaurants, shopping malls, offices, and other places of business are empty as consumers and workers prefer to stay at home with family close to a safe shelter. There are already reports of high-tech companies planning to relocate to Cyprus with their workers. Today Israel’s chief of staff stated that Israel should prepare itself for an extended campaign. Also not factored in is the cost to repair all the damage done by missiles that were not intercepted. At the moment the cost of repairing the damage imcurred is estimated at $400 million and it climbs every day.

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Netanyahu has, just like with Gaza, started another war with no clear political objectives and no clear exit strategy. The Gaza war is now entering its 21st month with no clear exit strategy. The war with Iran is far, far more costly and resource-intensive than the war in Gaza financially, psychologically, and long-term damage to Israel’s economy. And… Netanyahu began the war with Iran with some sort of trust in Trump who will only end up betraying him.