Israeli leader, Netanyahu, met with the new president, Donald Trump for the first time. At first, Mr. Trump stayed silent as the Israeli leaders speak, but he has since said that "going forward with these settlements is a good thing for peace", agreeing with Netanyahu. Despite the more strained relationship with Israel when Obama left office, Trump seems to offer a politically beneficial relationship to Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu seems to portray himself as a more moderate and experienced negotiator with the United States. He said, "I have navigated Israeli-US relations in a prudent manner, and I will continue to do so now." He later said that he and Mr. Trump "have known each other for years." Though there may be some conflict between Mr. Netanyahu and his main rival Naftali Bennett on what is best to discuss with Mr. Trump, Netanyahu and Mr. Trump seem to be agreeing on some things.
The author of the article seemed a little biased- their opinions seemed to lean towards Palestine. However, their does seem to be a bit of favor with Trump, which is unusual for the New York Times, a typically more liberal magazine. I think it's interesting with his lack of experience in foreign affairs that somehow Trump has been able to navigate this dicey situation with no major faux pas. I'm not typically very optimistic when it comes to Trump, but I think his willingness to work with Netanyahu and his personal relationship with him may lead to some peace between Israel and Palestine, however forced. This can be synthesized to the United States foreign policy of isolationism during the first half of World War I.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/12/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-trump-israel-west-bank-settlements.html?_r=0
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