Waiting Game

Israel is entering the third week of “the waiting period,” as people are calling it. Some have gone all the way and stocked their homes with two months’ worth of supplies; others have chosen to tune out the chatter and carry on with routine life. But a huge question mark is hovering over the country like a dark cloud.

This is not like the waiting periods that came before previous regional wars, such as the 1991 Gulf War. Then, Israel absorbed the ricochets in the first round, but it played no role in the subsequent military campaign.

Anyone tracking the movements of senior American and Israeli security officials over the last couple of weeks — these are extended stays, not quick visits — understands that this time around, the Americans are relying on Israel no less than Netanyahu depends on Trump.

The American president conducts himself in the geopolitical realm the same way he does in the business world; he constantly reshuffles the deck, carefully maintaining ambiguity and unpredictability. Still, the talk of a “beautiful armada” making its way to the Middle East demands a serious examination of the forces the Americans are deploying in the region.