US Concerned by Chinese Investments in Israel

Israel’s Foreign Ministry warned the security cabinet in a recent meeting that Jerusalem is headed toward a standoff with the Trump Administration unless the Jewish state imposes restrictions on, and better oversight over, Chinese investments, Israel’s Channel 13 reported, citing anonymous senior ministers. “If the decision we make doesn’t satisfy the Americans, it might cause a confrontation with the United States,” they were quoted as saying. President Donald Trump reportedly cautioned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in March that the bilateral security relationship could suffer unless Israel curbed its ties with Beijing, a message that has subsequently been relayed by other high-ranking American officials. However, Finance Ministry representatives reportedly said that increasing bureaucratic red tape on companies could harm the economy, even as Beijing continues to increase its holdings in a broad spectrum of Israeli sectors, especially hi-tech. In response, Netanyahu reportedly postponed a cabinet vote on creating a monitoring mechanism in order to revise the plan to appease the White House. The new proposal will reportedly be voted on later this week.