Fareed Zakaria

I think what Trump represented for the Israelis was the most unqualified support that any American president was ever going to give to an Israeli prime minister. And the relationship is obviously very personal between Trump and Bibi.

As a result of that, by the way, he was able to get a ceasefire because, in effect, it seems that his envoy told Bibi, you're not going to get a better deal from Trump, so you better take this one. This is in the waning days of the Biden administration. But I think that it's also a kind of ideological affinity to Bibi-ism, if you will.

As a result of that, by the way, he was able to get a ceasefire because, in effect, it seems that his envoy told Bibi, you're not going to get a better deal from Trump, so you better take this one. This is in the waning days of the Biden administration. But I think that it's also a kind of ideological affinity to Bibi-ism, if you will.

If you notice in that UN resolution in which the United States absolutely bizarrely sided with Russia on against Ukraine, against almost every democratic country in the world in basically not condemning the Russian aggression in Ukraine. There were two unusual countries that went along with the U.S., Russia, North Korea, Belarus. It was Hungary and Israel.

If you notice in that UN resolution in which the United States absolutely bizarrely sided with Russia on against Ukraine, against almost every democratic country in the world in basically not condemning the Russian aggression in Ukraine. There were two unusual countries that went along with the U.S., Russia, North Korea, Belarus. It was Hungary and Israel.

And I think what that tells you is that there is this ideological affinity that Trump feels with Bibi both wrongly persecuted by the liberal elites of their country, both representing the kind of silent majority in their minds, both believing in huge amounts of disruption, both tough guys. So there's, I think, a kind of personal and ideological connection that Trump has with Bibi's Israel.

And I think what that tells you is that there is this ideological affinity that Trump feels with Bibi both wrongly persecuted by the liberal elites of their country, both representing the kind of silent majority in their minds, both believing in huge amounts of disruption, both tough guys. So there's, I think, a kind of personal and ideological connection that Trump has with Bibi's Israel.

And you can see it when you watch them together.

And you can see it when you watch them together.

You know, I've tried to understand it, and most people, with a lot of what Trump says, it does appear to have come out almost spontaneously. And so my guess is what happened is Bibi Netanyahu essentially expressed what has long been a kind of right-wing fantasy in Israel, which is if only we could clear these Palestinians out of Gaza—

You know, I've tried to understand it, and most people, with a lot of what Trump says, it does appear to have come out almost spontaneously. And so my guess is what happened is Bibi Netanyahu essentially expressed what has long been a kind of right-wing fantasy in Israel, which is if only we could clear these Palestinians out of Gaza—

This would be a great place for us to, you know, it was a big mistake for us to leave. And it's an amazing piece of land. We could think of the wonders we could do with Gaza. So it's it maybe came out of that. What it has done is it has in some ways given comfort to both sides. The extremists on both sides.

This would be a great place for us to, you know, it was a big mistake for us to leave. And it's an amazing piece of land. We could think of the wonders we could do with Gaza. So it's it maybe came out of that. What it has done is it has in some ways given comfort to both sides. The extremists on both sides.

So right-wing Israelis now say, and I mean people to the right of Bibi Najinyahu, say, you see, this was not a fantasy. This was something real. The president of the United States is now advocating getting the Palestinians out of Gaza. So all those people have dug in. And believe that this is really viable. And by the way, it's spreading to their views on the West Bank as well.

So right-wing Israelis now say, and I mean people to the right of Bibi Najinyahu, say, you see, this was not a fantasy. This was something real. The president of the United States is now advocating getting the Palestinians out of Gaza. So all those people have dug in. And believe that this is really viable. And by the way, it's spreading to their views on the West Bank as well.

Because the right-wing fantasy in Israel has always been make life so difficult for the Palestinians that effectively they will slowly but surely start moving away. They'll go to Jordan. They'll go to Egypt. The Egyptians and Jordanians will be forced to take them.

Because the right-wing fantasy in Israel has always been make life so difficult for the Palestinians that effectively they will slowly but surely start moving away. They'll go to Jordan. They'll go to Egypt. The Egyptians and Jordanians will be forced to take them.

But on the other hand, it does seem to have also reinforced among the hardline Palestinians the idea that, look, the Americans only mean bad things for us. Be very wary of any of this American involvement, because what the Americans really want to do is ethnically cleanse all of us out of Gaza. So they're digging in. They're trying to figure out how do we maintain our presence? How do we

But on the other hand, it does seem to have also reinforced among the hardline Palestinians the idea that, look, the Americans only mean bad things for us. Be very wary of any of this American involvement, because what the Americans really want to do is ethnically cleanse all of us out of Gaza. So they're digging in. They're trying to figure out how do we maintain our presence? How do we

make sure that if there is some kind of an American or Israeli suzerainty here, we would launch an insurgency. So I don't see it as having produced anything particularly good. And it has really reinforced this very strong element within the Israeli right that believes there is a solution to the Palestinian problem. And it is largely ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the West Bank.