Hey, Bibi: Return Trump's favorWashington Examiner, Apr 10, 2019
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No one should forget, though, that President Trump played a significant role in Netanyahu's victory. Just in time for the election, Trump handed Netanyahu major policy victories that he was able to sell at home. That includes the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Trump's support for Israel's claim of sovereignty over the Golan Heights, his pushing for the Sunni monarchies to openly support Israeli interests, and his generous reinforcement of U.S. aid to the Israeli military.
In Trump, Israel has found his greatest presidential friend since Harry S. Truman. And so we completely understand why Netanyahu's supporters gleefully waved Trump flags at the Prime Minister's election night party.
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For starters, Israel's technology sector is a key source of export value and foreign investment appeal, but China's growing footprint in Israel is greatly problematic for U.S. national security. China has a proven record of gaining access to civilian technology and then using it to develop its own military capabilities. This is a particular problem in relation to China's deployment of advanced stand-off weapons platforms such as its "carrier killer" ballistic missile force and its next-generation, "blue water" navy fleet.
Beijing's potential access to U.S. military capabilities sold to Israel, as the F-35 Strike Fighter program, could someday prove deadly. Trump should ask Netanyahu to restrict China's access to value-added technologies capable of dual-use manipulation and to present safeguards in relation to China's construction of Haifa Port.
As for Trump's long-brewing plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on agreement with appropriate concessions on all sides would eliminate a driver of Islamic extremist propaganda, terrorist recruitment, and resentment in the Muslim world. While the role of the conflict in fueling Islamic terrorism is often exaggerated – issues of poverty, political failure, and ideologically extreme education are far more important – the conflict does matter at the margin.
More:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/hey-bibi-return-trumps-favor
