Interview with Dan Shapiro, Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Trump's Interest in Mutual Defense Treaty with Israel.
YONI GREEN BLUE AND WHITE VOTER: I asked some people here, why are they voting Likud? And the like, oh, because we have strong relations with the U.S. and Trump. And only Bibi can do that. And I'm like, do what? Like, Trump isn't helping Israel. I don't think he's of any important to what's happening in Israel. But he's affecting the elections in the wrong way because he's making the right stronger here.</s>ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. We are live in Jerusalem for you this hour. Welcome back. As you just heard one of Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest arguments in the Israeli election campaign is his relationship with the United States, specifically his close ties to Donald Trump. Huge billboards and banners can be seen all over Israel touting the Trump Netanyahu alliance. Donald Trump has been very popular in Israel, since announcing he would move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem two years ago. Joining me now is Dan Shapiro who was U.S. ambassador to Israel under Barack Obama. He is a visiting fellow at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies. This is a Prime Minister who is a fan of being in the limelight, on the international stage, and he's enjoyed his relationship with the Trump administration. How much good has it done him?</s>DAN SHAPIRO, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: Well it certainly plays on one of his strengths, which is that he is a known figure internationally. He has relationships not just with President Trump, but with President Putin of Russia, with President Modi of India, with other world leaders. And he argues to the Israeli people that nobody else would be able to get as much out of Israel's international relationships. How much it really affects the voters though is an interesting question. It's in some ways factored into what Israel's international expect of their Prime Minister. President Trump made significant efforts to help Prime Minister Netanyahu before the election in April. He recognized Israel's sovereignty of the Golan Heights. Days before the election he sent Secretary of State here days before the election. And it's not clear that it had much of an impact. SHAPIRO Those were seen as gifts right from the Trump administration. The only way Donald Trump may have impacted the Israeli election this time around -- may have -- was a tweet the U.S. President sent out of course a couple of days ago. In it, Mr. Trump said he had spoken with the Israeli Prime Minister about a mutual defense treaty between the two countries. How does that kind of suggestion, help Netanyahu? And actually was this really an offer at all? Is there any substance to this?</s>SHAPIRO: It wasn't serious. You know, Israel and the United States have looked at this question many times over the past 25 years of whether or not a formal defense alliance would be helpful. Already, with we have a very close security partnership, Israel receives a great deal of American assistance and weaponry. And it's known of course that the United States might feel it is implicated in actions Israel takes if we were actually formal treaty alliances. So, to throw that out in a tweet on the last weekend before an election doesn't look very serious to me.</s>ANDERSON: Dan, as far as we understand, turnout is around the same as it was in the April election. Which would have the Israeli/Jewish vote at around sort of 60, 65 percent or so and the Arab Israeli vote slightly lower than that. That's what we know today. We've got four and a half hours before the close of polls. It is not clear -- this is too close to call at this point. And it's not clear whether Benjamin Netanyahu will go into further decade in Israeli politics. What would the end of his era mean for the prospect of peace for the Palestinians?</s>SHAPIRO: Well it would very much depend on who succeeds him. You know, there's a scenario in which he doesn't succeed but he is pushed aside by a member of his own party. And it still a very right-leaning policy. Most members of Likud party no longer support the two-state solution and are openly in favor now of annexing portions of the West Bank.</s>ANDERSON: Benny Gantz's party doesn't seem to have that much in different position. Does he?</s>SHAPIRO: The Blue and White party is a diverse party. It has people far to the center left and people much closer to the Likud policy. And Gantz himself is probably somewhere in the middle. At least in that case, you wouldn't have, I think the push to annex parts of the West Bank. That they have recognized poses a serious threat to Israel's Jewish and democratic character. And so, at least it would leave a door open that some in the current government are trying to close.</s>ANDERSON: We have to consider that this could be the end of a decade-long era as Prime Minister for Benjamin Netanyahu. A lot longer than that in Israeli politics. If this was it, what would that mean for Israel's relationships with the U.S. going forward, do you think? It's been a particularly special relationship this one, hasn't it, between Netanyahu and Trump?</s>SHAPIRO: It's a very close relationship. And Netanyahu has both during the Trump administration and during the previous administrations, the Obama and the Clinton administrations, felt that he has a certain mastery of American politics. Of course, he lived in the United States when he was a young person. He speaks flawless English. He's never hesitated to use his skills to try to manipulate American politics on Capitol Hill, in the American media and at times going even against an American President as he did President Obama when he spoke in the Congress. Or forming this extremely exaggerating sense of alliance as he has with President Trump. What I hope it would mean, whoever is the Israeli Prime Minister is, a return to the kind of bipartisanship that has traditionally characterized U.S./Israel relations. Where leaders of both countries get along but they don't alienate the leaders of the opposition at the same time.</s>ANDERSON: Dan, pleasure having you on, sir.</s>SHAPIRO: Good to be with you.</s>ANDERSON: Thank you very much indeed. Dan Shapiro, U.S. ambassador to Israel under Barack Obama. A visiting fellow at Tel Aviv's University for National Security Studies. Thank you, sir. We'll be back live in Jerusalem right after this. \