Yaki Dayan, Israel’s former consul general in Los Angeles, said that US President Donald Trump’s push for an agreement with Iran reflects a change in direction in Washington and has raised concern in Israel.
In an interview with 103FM, Dayan said Trump has moved into a new phase.
“Trump has moved into a phase. He is now focused on world peace, peace with the Iranians, and expanding the Abraham Accords,” Dayan explained. “He will want to show in signs and wonders that he is a president of peace.”
Addressing the details of the emerging agreement with Tehran, Dayan said the picture is not encouraging.
“From his point of view, the picture of victory is enriched uranium and stopping nuclear enrichment. However, they are talking about not even removing the enriched material, but diluting it, which is a problem in itself," he said.
"All of this is happening while, within 60 days, Trump is lifting the economic siege, the tool that was really effective and the only one left. It does not look great.”
US, Israel's interests are dissimilar in Lebanon
Dayan confirmed that there is a clash of interests between the US and Israel regarding Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“There are many cases in which the interests of the US and Israel overlap, but there are cases, like in Lebanon and now in Iran, where they do not overlap, and then the American interest outweighs Israel’s.
"Israel did not want to see such an agreement, because we had the feeling that as long as the murderous regime in Iran remains, the motivation to destroy the State of Israel has not ended.”
At that point, 103FM asked whether Trump was humiliating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his remarks. Dayan said this is a characteristic style that is not reserved for Israel alone.
“That is the Trump style, there is no special treatment here,” the former consul general said.
“Sometimes when Trump’s Trump kicks in, there are no protected people and no immunity, including Netanyahu. There is no doubt that the two have a very good relationship, but Trump is now in a phase of world peace, and I am not sure he necessarily thinks Netanyahu is the natural partner for that.”