Netanyahu can't wait for Trump's inauguration — but he has to get through the next two months
Psagot Winery, based in the settlement of Psagot north of Jerusalem, is already preparing for the 47th president’s inauguration in a little over two months. A 2020 visit to the winery by then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo prompted the winery to introduce a “Pompeo” wine, in a vivid illustration of the first Trump administration’s relationship with the Israeli right. Earlier, following the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the winery had launched a special “Trump” edition. Exported to the US, the two labels sold like hotcakes, immediately becoming collectors’ items.
In a twist of fate, the winery got Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris in trouble during this year’s campaign cycle, as she was photographed at a dinner table with bottles from the Israeli vintner. There was never going to be a Psagot “Kamala” wine, even if she’d won. A vinegar, though, might have been on the table.
But Trump won big, and celebrations on the Israeli right are in full swing. A new “President Trump” special edition has already been launched ahead of the inauguration, and wine connoisseurs might appreciate the winery’s dilemma: Should the new label be a “Sinai” blend, as during the first administration? Or should “President Trump” be upgraded to the winery’s finer “Edom” blend?
This anecdote isn’t trivia for wine connoisseurs, but serves as a parable for the conundrum facing Israeli decision makers. Which Trump will we get? Now that he doesn’t have to worry about reelection, will the president’s second administration be as pro-Israeli as before, or even more so? Or will he push for a peace settlement even at the expense of Israel’s security interests?
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