Ma’ariv, Israel, May 27
Airports around the world have been shut down. Airplanes have been grounded and moved to storage. Yet there are still those who get on a plane and travel halfway across the world to make a point. This was exactly what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to Israel a few weeks back was about. Traveling at the behest of President Trump, Pompeo was sent to Israel to relay a clear message to Netanyahu: It’s time for Israel to take a step away from China. While the Israeli officials hoped that Pompeo would come bearing groundbreaking news from President Trump pertaining to the Israeli annexation of the West Bank, the secretary of state made it clear to his Israeli interlocutors that the White House opposed any unilateral Israeli steps vis-à-vis the Palestinians. His second message was even harsher: If you don’t intervene to prevent Chinese companies from expanding into Israel, the United States will respond by pulling American firms out of Israel. The battle between the two giants, the United States and China, is far from recent. It’s been unfolding for many decades. But when the president sitting in the Oval Office is one fighting for the future of his political career and China is fighting for its trampled national honor, the mud fight is dirtier than ever – and we find ourselves in the center of the arena. While Beijing continues to challenge the United States’ role as the world’s sole superpower, Washington is working to send a clear message of who the real boss is. Sometimes, sending this message involves the secretary of state making a 24-hour trip halfway across the world to deliver an in-person message to one of his country’s allies. This time it was a cease and desist message for Prime Minister Netanyahu. – Gili Cohen (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)