Zev Chafets, Columnist

Killing the Iran Deal Was Only the First Step

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees Trump as a partner for broader regional change.

May 8, 2018 at 7:21 PM UTC

Zev Chafets is a journalist and author of 14 books. He was a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and the founding managing editor of the Jerusalem Report Magazine.

High stakes.
Photograph: Getty Images Europe

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Now that President Donald Trump has officially withdrawn the U.S. from the Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the world has to figure out how to live with that decision. Strategic reappraisals are taking place in Tehran, Europe and, most importantly, Moscow.

There are only two leaders who are happier today than they were yesterday: One is Trump himself; the other is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu. Tearing up the Iran deal was Trump’s call, but it would not have happened without Netanyahu’s stubborn willingness to stand up to the world — and especially Israel’s own generally hawkish security experts.