Segal added that assertions Trump planned to abandon the demand to dismantle Hamas were unfounded.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Channel 12 News chief political analyst Amit Segal challenged the widely reported assumption of a growing rift between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating that, on the contrary, the two leaders agreed on most of the crucial issues and their policies align.
He said the tone and substance of Trump’s remarks showed that Israel had achieved nearly all of its strategic objectives.
“First, a message to viewers around the world: the sound you heard during the press conference was the popping of yet another balloon that recently tried to claim there is a huge gap between Netanyahu and Trump, and between Israel and the United States,” Segal said.
He added that assertions Trump planned to abandon the demand to dismantle Hamas were unfounded. “Israel is getting nine out of ten things it wanted, and Netanyahu, apropos the pardon, is getting eleven out of ten,” he said.
Segal focused on Trump’s comments regarding Gaza, saying they reinforced Israel’s core security position. Trump stated that reconstruction of Gaza would not move forward without Hamas being disarmed, a condition Segal said carries major operational implications for Israel.
He explained that this position means Israel is not obligated to withdraw from territory currently under its control, which he estimated at about 58 percent of the Gaza Strip.
According to Segal, the remarks signal continued US backing for Israel’s demand that military threats be eliminated before any political or economic rehabilitation takes place, pushing back against international proposals that would link reconstruction to Israeli withdrawals.
The analyst said the most significant development, however, concerned Iran. Segal described Trump’s comments as a decisive narrowing of policy differences between Jerusalem and Washington on how to address Iranian military programs beyond the nuclear issue.
“More important than anything is the existential Iranian threat,” Segal said. He noted that Trump made clear that even if Iran advances its non-nuclear ballistic missile project, the US president is prepared to authorize swift military action.
“President Trump closes the small gap between Israel and the United States and says that even if the non-nuclear ballistic project advances, he is committed to approving a rapid strike,” Segal said.
Calling the message “extraordinarily important,” Segal said it constituted “excellent news for all Israelis,” reflecting firm US support for Israel’s security priorities at a sensitive regional juncture.
Political analyst Amit Segal says Trump fulfilling ‘9 out of 10’ of Israel’s requests appeared first on World Israel News.