By James M. Dorsey

At first glance, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could not have a better friend in the White House.

In his first two months in office, President Donald J. Trump authorised US$11 billion in arms sales, signed a swath of executive orders to crack down on criticism of Israel, put universities and student protesters in his crosshairs, and legitimised ethnic cleansing.

Even so, Mr. Trump’s four years in office may not be honeymoon years for US-Israeli relations.

To read further, listen to the podcast, or watch the video, please go to https://jamesmdorsey.substack.com/p/netanyahu-gambles-on-trump

By James M. Dorsey

is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies as Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, co-director of the Institute of Fan Culture of the University of Würzburg and the author of the blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, and a forthcoming book with the same title.