Netanyahu is reportedly calling Trump every day, urging him to resume the war against Iran. The Israeli prime minister wants military action back on the table, while Gulf leaders are pushing Washington to avoid another round of strikes and give diplomacy a chance. Trump has not made a decision, and for now appears to be weighing continued economic pressure against renewed bombing. The dispute is no longer just about whether Iran gets hit again. It’s also about who gets to influence Washington’s decisions.
That fight is now spilling into Congress. Twelve Senate Democrats, led by Chris Van Hollen, are demanding that three provisions expanding U.S.-Israel defense and intelligence cooperation be removed from the 2027 defense bill. The measures would deepen joint weapons development, technology sharing and intelligence cooperation, including in AI, autonomous systems and cyberwarfare. The senators argue the provisions could give Israel leverage over American weapons systems and tie the hands of future presidents trying to limit cooperation. They specifically point to Netanyahu’s push for a deeper defense partnership and his long campaign for military action against Iran.
The timing is hard to miss. Netanyahu is lobbying the White House to restart a war, while a growing group of Democrats is questioning whether Washington should be binding itself even closer to the Israeli military. Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie tried to remove the House provision earlier this year, but leadership blocked a vote. Now the Senate push is aimed at the final negotiations over the defense bill.
https://www.ft.com/content/8505c9d9-bb41-4052-a3dd-874dc9a509b1
https://abcnews.com/Politics/us-israel-drawing-plans-resume-attacks-iran-post/story?id=137479897
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