Max Boot: President Trump is hurting Israel by … making Democrats more pro-Palestinian?

We’re going out on a limb here, but we’re thinking that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might disagree with The Washington Post’s Max Boot’s suggestion Wednesday that President Trump is, “in fact, inflicting long-term damage on the U.S.-Israel alliance,” in part by pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Is Trump the "most pro-Israel president in US history"? Hardly. He is hurting Israel by increasing the Iranian threat and politicizing the U.S.-Israel alliance. My @PostOpinions column: https://t.co/fC0xZ1sgvI

— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) May 23, 2018

https://twitter.com/Moj_kobe/status/999413715358306304

Boot’s real problem seems to be less the Iran deal and more the politicization of America’s relationship with Israel. He notes, for example, that no Democrats were invited to the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem:

Trump is, with Netanyahu’s connivance, exacerbating a dangerous trend: the end of the bipartisan consensus on Israel. Conservatives have become increasingly pro-Israel, liberals increasingly pro-Palestinian. A recent Pew poll found that nearly twice as many liberal Democrats sympathize with the Palestinians than with Israel. This is a big problem for Israel’s future, unless one assumes that Republicans will hold power forever.

Let’s see if we get this now. Trump is further dividing the two political parties, so much so that when an increasingly pro-Palestinian liberal Democrat president assumes power, Israel is going to be in big trouble. Is that it?

Democrats are becoming more anti-Israel, therefore Trump isn't pro-Israel. Seriously, that's what he's arguing. https://t.co/37eUFeZbLi pic.twitter.com/ApT7Vb6lVf

— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) May 23, 2018

So, is the solution to getting Progressives to love Israel for Trump and conservatives to give up their genuine affection to make American progressive Jews feel better?

Does this sound insane to anyone?

— Melissa Mackenzie ? (@MelissaTweets) May 23, 2018

Yeah, he's hurting Israel by <refers to notes> implementing crippling new sanctions, successfully putting pressure on European partners to do so, appealing to Iranian people against repressive regime, and reaffirming Israel is more important than any deal with #Iran.

Got it. https://t.co/kHNBXcqmfh

— John Cooper (@thejcoop) May 23, 2018

https://twitter.com/Moj_kobe/status/999416364933627904

The Obama administration literally financed efforts to unseat Netanyahu, but yeah it's Trump who politicized the alliance. Good call.

— neontaster (@neontaster) May 23, 2018

Remove your head FROM your ass before tweeting. 🙂 https://t.co/vRTDyMVltp

— The?FOO (@PolitiBunny) May 23, 2018

Weapons-grade nonsense

Trump is most pro-Israel president ever, or at least since Truman.

Iran economy in free-fall & mullahs incredibly unpopular. Regime hanging by thread.

Trump has gas pedal to floor. Sanctions+new posture will degrade regime.https://t.co/XsLrHie7d1

— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) May 23, 2018

Max, you don’t have to like Trump
or like anything he says, but saying Trump is “increasing the Iranian threat” to Israel by imposing sanctions and pulling out of a deal that gives Iran a
glide path to the bomb (as you admitted in 2015) is laughable. This is embarrassing. https://t.co/oz8EjuL2uu

— James Hasson (@JamesHasson20) May 23, 2018

Maybe let Israel decide this question. Bet they have a different take.

— DJ (@dj_av8) May 23, 2018

Israelis like Trump, but Max says they're wrong. https://t.co/jKt3bGfNN5

— Complexifier (@trogdor8768) May 23, 2018

Good grief Max! Call up any random Israeli and ask them if they feel better with Trump at the helm or want to return to the pallets o'cash era. I guess I'm not surprised this made it to print in the @washingtonpost but it is delusional. https://t.co/wmboSG5ylI

— Ron Pyle (@rreactor) May 23, 2018

This sounds very much like the Obama admin line that the US knows what Israel's true interests are better than its elected government. https://t.co/J1LbF1o2Q9

— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) May 23, 2018

Because sending pallets of cash to Iran was a better strategy https://t.co/4jTdTA1tVI

— Jack (@NBA_GM) May 23, 2018

What a load of crap! It was Obama who dropped off pallets of cash to fund their terrorism across the region including proxy wars in Syria and against Israel. Nice try! https://t.co/KUhyXoDqxF

— Joe (@JoeC1776) May 23, 2018

https://twitter.com/TheMarkLeClaire/status/999394627747803136

https://twitter.com/AdamBaldwin/status/999421619029229569

Sorry Max, but this is a really bad take that has more to do with your feelings about Trump (many of which I share) than the actual impact of his actions on the alliance. https://t.co/Lihc9Q70NO

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

It's absolutely true that Trump's actions are mostly motivated by domestic politics, but that doesn't change the impact. I will also concede that the extent to which he is pro-Israel is also exaggerated by the fact that the previous admin was openly hostile to Israel.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

But the arguments here just don't add up. 1) Support 4 Israel started becoming partisan due to movement among Dems long before Trump. That is not a good thing, but not something that can be blamed exclusively or mostly on Trump. In fact, Obama had much more to do with the shift.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

2) The assertion that withdrawing from the nuclear deal is harmful to Israel is also not supported by the facts. 1) Israel clearly disagrees. 2) Just today we found out about Iran's continued work on a missiles program. 3) Evidence they were keeping..

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

their side of the deal isn't just questionable, but is impossible to prove due to the flaws in the deal. 4) Most importantly, Iran claims that it will continue the deal with Europe so how does Trump withdrawing put Israel at risk? (Unless Iran is lying).

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

5) Iran is openly using money from the deal and lack of sanctions to fund attacks on Israel and increase the threats to Israel from Syria etc., with little chance for retaliation from us or Israel because of constraints created by the deal.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

Trump's actions have undoubtedly been about personal political gain, but they have also undoubtedly been pro-Israel and strengthened our alliance. If Trump critics want to abandon Israel because they now associate it with Trump and are afraid to give him credit, that's on them.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) May 23, 2018

Show us all on the doll where Trump hurt you most, Max. https://t.co/7zxJurezCl

— hey baby it’s woke outside (@MatlockFletcher) May 23, 2018

Related:

'LYING SACK OF SH*T'! NYT's Max Fisher puts SHAMEFUL spin on this disturbing Iran news https://t.co/b0EbNCPZwo

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 23, 2018