Amid shock in Israel over the understandings between the Trump administration and Iran, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee publicly embraced an explanation that frames the move not as abandoning Israel, but as a political calculation ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. According to Ariel Kahane, Huckabee quoted Mike Zell, chairman of the Republican Party in Israel, and said, “I could not have said it better.”
In Zell’s remarks, he argued that President Donald Trump “has not changed course or abandoned Israel,” and that his support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people is “unassailable.” He said Trump’s decision stems from the need to win the November midterms and prevent Democrats from taking control of Congress. In Zell’s view, Trump fears Democratic control would lead to impeachment efforts and paralysis of both foreign and domestic policy through the end of his term.
Zell said Americans vote mainly on cost of living, energy prices, food prices and stock markets, not on security issues in the Middle East. On that basis, he argued, Trump wants to “pause the Iran war for now” in order to lower inflation, stabilize markets and strengthen the American economy before the election. He added that this is how Trump currently sees the U.S. national interest, and said he agrees with that analysis.
On the agreement itself, Zell said it is not a final settlement but an arrangement to open negotiations and maintain a ceasefire for now. He said Trump still holds “all the cards” and can decide how much pressure the United States applies to Iran and its proxies. He stressed that Israel is not a direct party to the deal, which he said gives it freedom to defend its security interests in Lebanon, Syria and against Iran, whether through prior planning or as a result of the new situation. Zell also said he is unhappy with the deal and with some of the tone from the White House, but insisted the Israel-U.S. relationship remains strong and unbreakable. Huckabee’s endorsement came at a sensitive moment in ties between Jerusalem and Washington, after sharp criticism in Israel of the Iran understanding and amid warnings from administration figures against public attacks on Trump. U.S. reports say criticism is also rising inside the Republican camp, while the White House is presenting the deal as serving American interests first.
