BAKER NOTABLE

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/04/israel-iran-us-europe-france-emmanuel-macron-donald-trump.html

Trump, Netanyahu stand firm against Europe on Iran deal

Talking to the press after his meeting last March with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a seemingly minor comment that, in the course of his meetings with Trump, he had attained a very important achievement for Israeli national security. This comment is now emerging as more dramatic than it originally seemed.

Since then, rumors have circulated regarding the nature of this achievement. By now we are pretty confident that in those talks, Netanyahu received an explicit promise that Trump would “go all the way” regarding the Iran nuclear agreement. According to a senior Israeli political source speaking on condition of anonymity, “Trump sounded more determined than ever, convinced even more than Netanyahu, in the vital and urgent need to amend the agreement or simply abandon it and bash the ayatollah regime.”

After the meeting with Trump, Netanyahu’s associates scattered additional hints. “In the near future, we’ll see changes of personnel in the administration,” said one Netanyahu associate, on condition of anonymity. “Trump is going after Iran with everything he’s got. He won’t blink or vacillate or take prisoners. He understands the magnitude of the danger.” This, to Israelis, is tantamount to having all of their dreams come true, all the more so for Netanyahu, and all in one decisive fell swoop. Finally, Netanyahu receives an American president who views the Iranian danger exactly as he does, eye to eye. Sometimes even more than him. The recent appointments of John Bolton as national security adviser and Mike Pompeo as secretary of state serve to advance Netanyahu’s dreams.