Netanyahu wishes Trump luck with North Korea

Politicians from across the Israeli political spectrum learned different lessons from Tuesday’s historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, with the Right calling Monday for the summit to lead to the denuclearization of Iran and the Left expressing hope that it could bring new hope to the peace process with the Palestinians.

Speaking to the Likud faction in the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Trump success in what he called “the effort to prevent the spread of dangerous nuclear weapons in the world.” He reiterated his message from Monday’s AJC Global Forum in which he said that those who support Trump’s effort to denuclearize North Korea should stand behind his quest to halt a nuclear Iran.

“This is exactly the same effort we are making here, which I spoke about with European leaders last week, preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told the Likud MKs.

Netanyahu’s Likud colleagues went further, with Energy, Water and National Infrastructures Minister Yuval Steinitz saying the summit could have a dramatic impact on the Middle East. Steinitz said completely dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program could increase pressure on Iran to do the same, but if the summit fails, it could embolden Iran’s nuclear program.

“Any result except the summit collapsing would be a great accomplishment for Trump’s policies and send a message that the Iran deal the Europeans are trying to hold onto has been dealt a death blow,” said Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel.

Likud MK Anat Berko said the very fact that the summit was taking place proved that “President Trump’s unconventional, non-politically approach works.”

She expressed hope that Trump would go straight from denuclearizing North Korea to doing the same in Iran.

“The Iranians should read Trump’s tweets and internalize that he is different from his predecessors who let them get away with what they have done,” Berko said.

By contrast, Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni said the main lesson of Trump’s meeting with Kim had to do with the Palestinian issue, not Iran. She expressed hope that the Trump administration’s next endeavor would be to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Israelis are citizens of the world, and when they see North Korea talking to South Korea, they should feel hope for real change here, too,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “They deserve to be given that hope by their leaders, who currently have leverage.

Israelis must understanding that the dual strategy of combining threatening force and a real diplomatic option can be effective. Now, there is unfortunately no diplomatic option being put on the table.”

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) issued a more general statement about the summit, without mentioning Iran or the Palestinians.

“Preventing nuclear weapons from the Axis of Evil is an important mission that will have a positive impact on the entire world,” Liberman tweeted. “I am sure that [Trump’s] determined and unapologetic leadership will lead to great achievements.”