Netanyahu: Trump, Israel At Odds Over Settlements

Warns Likud Members There Was No 'Understanding' With Administration

by Jason Ditz,

In a closed-door meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told the Likud leadership that US-Israel relations are a lot more complicated than anyone realizes, and that Israel and the Trump Administration remain at odds over the question of settlement expansion.

Many Israeli officials assumed Trump’s inauguration, and pledge to be the “most pro-Israel” president ever would allow settlement expansion with impunity. Multiple large Israeli expansion announcements after Trump took office only added to that perception.

Netanyahu, however, insisted that there has been no formal understanding reached with Trump on the settlements, and that while Trump’s desire to be “pro-Israel” gives him opportunities, it is important to recognize they are not limitless.

The meeting was said to involve a vocal debate about what Israel’s reaction should be, with several MPs saying they believed Trump would ultimately accept any position that Netanyahu publicly held, and that he should be trying to do more, both to expand the settlements and to end talk of a two-state solution.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/27/netanyahu-trump-israel-at-odds-over-settlements/