Fearing a hostile US, Israeli PM Netanyahu bats for India, LatAm as bigger allies

Donald Trump will remain US President until at least 2029, but Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is already preparing for a possible shift in Washington. From India to Latin America, Netanyahu is seeking new security partners amid growing concerns over future US military aid and the possibility of sanctions or an arms embargo against Israel.

The Presidency of Donald Trump will not end until at least 2029. But, the Israeli government is already hedging its bets in the event of a more "hostile" administration taking the White House. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned that a future US President could turn against Jerusalem, potentially slashing military sanctions and even backing international sanctions and arms embargoes. He added that Jerusalem should look to cultivate alliances with India and Latin American nations as a counterweight.

According to the Israeli news outlets, The Jerusalem Post and YnetNews, Netanyahu made the remarks on Sunday (October 18), while presenting his security doctrine, nine days before Israel's October 27 election.

According to reports, Netanyahu raised the possibility that a future administration in Washington DC could be "very hostile to Israel", and called for Jerusalem to use the remaining years of Trump's presidency to strengthen its position while building new alliances with countries such as India and those in Latin America.

"In two years, a president, man or woman, could come to power who is very hostile to Israel," Netanyahu said, questioning how Israel would manage its relationship with Washington under such circumstances.

The warning by Netanyahu amid Israel fighting on multiple fronts, including against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran. Tensions are running high across the Middle East and Israel is facing international criticism over its military operations. Now, Netanyahu appears keen to build and strengthen alliances and keep Israel insulated from any change of guard in the US.

Netanyahu's remarks come even as several members of the US Democratic Party, including elected Representatives and Senators, have called for investigations into alleged Israeli violations, including the use of US-supplied weapons in Gaza. Others have demanded investigations into settler violence in the occupied West Bank. It comes days after Trump endorsed Netanyahu as the PM, ahead of the elections. Previously, Trump had said that he "did not trust" either Netanyahu or his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot.

Netanyahu's remarks also come months after he proposed a "hexagon" alliance in February this year, comprising India, Greece, Cyprus and other nations.

INDIA, LATIN AMERICA, IN NETANYAHU'S SIGHTS

According to Ynetnews, PM Netanyahu said that Israel must strengthen its relationship with the US even as it prepares for an eventual change of the guard in Washington, which may lead to a more hostile administration.

"First, we must do everything we can during these two years, and during the following two years, in the American arena, through good times and bad," he said, according to YnetNews.

"The second thing is to create other alliances. That is what I am working on now with many countries in our region and outside it. India is not a small country, and there are many others," he added.

The Jerusalem Post reported Netanyahu as saying that he was already working with countries within and outside the Middle East to establish such partnerships.

"There is a major shift in Latin America, and there could be an enormous change in Brazil in just a few days," he said, adding that Israel needed to expand its alliances and develop capabilities that would make it valuable to other countries.

For context, Brazil's incumbent President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term in office in the October 25 presidential run-off against right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro. The first round of voting on October 4 saw Flavio finish ahead of Lula, setting up a closely contested run-off.

This is not the first time that Netanyahu has spoken about the need for additional alliances with countries like India. Back in August, he had stated that Israel was "investing heavily in our relationship with India."

In July, he told the Israeli journalist, Sharon Gal, that, "You have to build new alliances and develop new relationships. That's what I'm doing right now with India."

And in February this year, he had proposed a "hexagon" alliance, that included India, Greece, Cyprus among other nations. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on February 22, Netanyahu outlined the concept. "In the vision I see before me, we will create an entire system, essentially a 'hexagon' of alliances around or within the Middle East... This includes India, Arab nations, African nations, Mediterranean nations [Greece and Cyprus], and nations in Asia that I won't detail at the moment. I will present this in an organised manner..." Netanyahu said in February, a week before Israel and the US attacked Iran and the war in the Middle East started.

ISRAEL PREPARING FOR CHANGE OF GUARD IN WASHINGTON

Now, Netanyahu stressed that Israel had a limited window to advance its strategic priorities while Trump remained in office. In a social media post on Sunday, he described the next two years as an opportunity to complete major objectives on multiple fronts.

This comes as US President Donald Trump, extended an endorsement to the Israeli PM, ahead of the elections, after previously stating that he "did not trust" either Netanyahu or his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot.

YnetNews reported that Netanyahu's warning extended beyond the possibility of reduced US military aid to a scenario in which Washington could support sanctions or an international arms embargo against Israel.

Netanyahu also addressed Israel's strained relations with European governments, accusing some of publicly condemning the country while continuing to seek its cooperation.

"Countries that condemn us, and have some nerve, by the way, condemn us and then come to us," he said. "I tell them, 'It depends on you. It depends on how you behave'," Netanyahu was reported as saying by YnetNews.

NETANYAHU ATTACKS IRAN'S REGIME. CLAIMS ISRAEL WILL ACT ALONE IF NECESSARY

Netanyahu's security doctrine presentation on Sunday also focused on Iran, whose ruling regime he said Israel was determined to bring down. He claimed Israel had achieved around 90% of its objectives against Tehran but warned that Iran would attempt to rebuild its nuclear programme, other weapons capabilities and network of regional allies.

"Our plan is very comprehensive and very determined, to bring about the downfall of the [Iranian] regime," YnetNews quoted Netanyahu as saying.

The Israeli prime minister also said the country was prepared to act independently against Iran if necessary, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Netanyahu proposed allocating approximately 450 billion shekels in additional defence spending over the next decade to strengthen Israel's military capabilities. He said the Israel Defence Forces needed to grow, while artificial intelligence could reduce some manpower requirements.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main challenger in the October 27 election, criticised the prime minister's security doctrine, dismissing it as an empty political exercise rather than a serious national security strategy. The former Israeli military chief, who leads the opposition Yashar! Party, is seeking to unseat Netanyahu after what he calls "years of war and political turmoil".

"Nine days before the election and three years after the gravest failure and disaster in Israel's history, with every war front still open, Netanyahu decided to present his 'security doctrine' to the public," Eisenkot said, according to YnetNews. Polling conducted by the Tel-Aviv-based paper, The Times of Israel put Eisenkot’s party ahead of Netanyahu's Likud Party, but both blocs were projected to fall short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the country's legislature.

At the end of the day, the US remains Israel's biggest ally. But even as PM Netanyahu is emphasising his ties with President Trump, Jerusalem seems to be preparing for the next administration, which might or might not adopt a more hardline stance against Israel. The outreach to India and Latin America seems to be an effort by Jerusalem to establish a sufficient counterweight. Whether that strategy will succeed, remains to be seen.

- Ends
(Written by Shounak Sanyal)