Donald Trump Fell Into Iran’s Trap I say this as someone who supported @realDonaldTrump from the beginning in 2015, when the political class, the media and many Republicans considered him a joke. I did so because I believed he understood something others did not: that strength matters, that weakness invites aggression, and that peace is achieved by making your enemies fear the consequences of attacking you. That is why it is so painful to watch him completely misread the Iranian regime. DJT is one of the world’s greatest negotiators. He built an empire, won an election everyone said was impossible, reshaped American politics and succeeded where generations of diplomats failed by bringing several Arab countries closer to Israel. But there is a fundamental difference between negotiating with rational actors seeking prosperity and negotiating with a revolutionary regime whose identity is built around hatred. Iran is not the UAE, Morocco or Bahrain. Tehran’s rulers are not trying to maximize shareholder value or improve economic growth. They have spent four decades funding terrorism, destabilizing the M-East, threatening Israel, spreading anti-Americanism and building a network of proxies stretching from Gaza and Lebanon to Yemen. The idea that such a regime can abandon its objectives through negotiations has always been based on a misunderstanding of what it is. Most frustrating is that the Iranians achieved exactly what they wanted. They could not destroy Israel through Hezbollah. They could not break Israeli society after October 7. So they pursued another objective: creating friction between Jerusalem and Washington. Instead of helping @POTUS understand that Iran remains the source of the problem, they convinced him that Israel’s determination to defend itself was somehow the obstacle to peace. From Tehran’s perspective, that is an extraordinary strategic success. Most shocking of all is watching President Trump publicly lecture Benjamin Netanyahu as if he were speaking to a reckless politician who does not understand the consequences of war. With respect, Donald Trump is speaking to a man who has spent decades carrying responsibility for his country’s survival. He is speaking to a leader who served his nation, led Israel through wars and understands the Middle East better than any Western leaders ever will. More importantly, he is speaking to a nation that survived exile, persecution, pogroms, the gas chambers and countless attempts at annihilation. He is speaking to a people that rebuilt a sovereign state after two thousand years, defeated invading armies after declaring independence and once again stood up after October 7 with resilience any nation on earth could have demonstrated. Israelis do not see existential threats as theoretical debates. We do not have the luxury of making mistakes when people openly promise our destruction. History taught us that when enemies tell us what they intend to do, we must believe them. I remain grateful for everything Donald Trump has done for Israel, and history will remember many of his decisions as courageous. But gratitude does not require silence. No American president would accept missiles being launched at American civilians from Mexico or Canada while being told to exercise restraint and trust those responsible. Israel should not be expected to accept a standard the United States would reject immediately. The reality is simple: Israel is not for sale, Israel’s security is not negotiable, and Israel’s independence will never depend on the approval of any foreign leader, however friendly he may be. We appreciate our allies and welcome their support, but ultimately remain responsible for our own future. As PM @netanyahu said, if Israel must stand alone, it will; if it must fight with its fingernails, it will. Thank God, today we have far more than fingernails. CC : @jaredkushner @GovMikeHuckabee @SecRubio @PeteHegseth @DavidM_Friedman @marklevinshow @USAmbFrance
