Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed Israel is likely to face a hostile US administration in the future, potentially threatening its military assistance and strategic relationship with Washington. Speaking at an event days before Israel’s October 27 election, the Israeli PM said the country must develop new international alliances, including with India and Latin American countries, to strengthen his country’s position.
Netanyahu’s remarks came hours before he received a strong endorsement from US President Donald Trump, who publicly expressed his support for the Israeli PM’s re-election bid just days before the country goes to the polls.
“In two years, a president, man or woman, could come to power who is very hostile to Israel. How would you deal with that? How would you operate in relation to the United States? And beyond that, what solutions would be necessary?” Netanyahu questioned.
The premier stressed that Tel Aviv must use the remaining years of Trump’s presidency to strengthen its position while preparing for a potentially dramatic shift in American policy.
“First, we must do everything we can during these two years, and during the following two years, in the American arena, through good times and bad,” he said.
“The second thing is to create other alliances. That is what I am working on now with many countries in our region and outside it. India is not a small country, and there are many others,” the Israeli prime minister said, pointing to political developments in Latin America as another opportunity to expand Israel’s network of allies.
“There is a major shift in Latin America, and there could be an enormous change in Brazil in just a few days,” Netanyahu pointed out, adding, “We must expand our pool of alliances and develop capabilities that make us valuable to everyone.”
This is not the first time Netanyahu has evoked India and his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to argue against Israel’s growing isolation in the world and to demonstrate his government’s diplomatic successes.
Countering issues of delegitimisation and alliances amid a prolonged war, Netanyahu, in a much publicised statement in May, said that his country enjoys a “unique relationship” with “huge power” India where there is “crazy love” for Israel.
Many analysts in Israel feel that the growing anger towards Israel among Democrats in the US results from poor choices Netanyahu made over the years.
His relations with Democratic Party-led Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden were often tense, which he presented to his supporters as the courage of a strong leader willing to stand up against American Presidents to safeguard Israel’s interests, the analysts told news agency PTI.
