>>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL." ISRAEL HELD A MOST CONSEQUENTIAL
IN DECADES.
IN DECADES. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU FACED FRAUD
AND CORRUPTION CHARGES AND BOTH
CANDIDATES REMAIN LOCKED IN A
NECK AND NECK RACE.
THEY ARE BASICALLY MIDNIGHT OVER
THERE, LATE PAST MIDNIGHT, BUT
HISTORICALLY THIS IS THE POINT
THAT AMERICAN PRESIDENTS HAVE
ABSTAINED IN GETTING INVOLVED IN
ISRAELI POLITICS, OPTING TO PLAY
THE FRIEND OF ISRAEL AND HONEST
BROKER.
BROKER. NOT THIS TIME.
PRESIDENT TRUMP BROKE WITH
PREDECESSORS TO HELP HIS FRIEND
BE VICTORIOUS TODAY.
HE PROVED THE AMERICAN EMBASSY
TO JERUSALEM WAS DRAWN FROM THE
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL AND
SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE GOLA N
HEIGHTS.
HEIGHTS. TRUMP EVEN INVITED THE TO THE
WHITE HOUSE, TWO WEEKS BEFORE
THE ELECTION POSING FOR THE
PHOTO OP.
PHOTO OP. HE FORGED NO DEEPER POLITICAL
BOND THAN THE HE HAD AND IT’S
THE PUSH TO GET HIM REELECTED
PAID OFF.
PAID OFF. SHANNON PETTY PIECE, THIS
ELECTION
ELECTION ELECTION AND NEGOTIATIONS AND
POLITICS, OUR PRESIDENT FROM
EISENHOWER ALL THE WAY UP TO W.
HIS HONEST BROKER AND THEY CAN
BRING PEACE AND PLAY A BIGGER
GLOBAL ROLE THAN BEING BUDDIES
WITH ISRAEL.
WITH ISRAEL. THIS PRESIDENT IGNORED THE FROM
THE PEACE MAKER AND HONEST
BROKER AND JUST PLAYED POLITICAL
SIDEKICK OF BB.
>> DIFFERENT PRESIDENTS HAD
DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HONEST
BROKER THEY PLAYED.
OBAMA REFUSED TO MEET WITH
NETANYAHU WHEN HE CAME TO VISIT
SAYING IT WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. THOSE TWO HAD A CHILLY
RELATIONSHIP.
RELATIONSHIP. PRESIDENT TRUMP DID NOT ENDORSE
NETANYAHU WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN
A DIPLOMATIC NO-NO, BUT AS YOU
POINTED OUT, THERE HAS BEEN NO
EZTATION ABOUT ENTHUSIASM AND
THE TIMING OF THESE MOVES AND
THE GOLAN HEIGHTS AND THE GUARD.
SO CLEARLY LINKED TO THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. IT SPEAKS TO ONE RELATIONSHIP
THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS WITH
NETANYAHU AND THE RELATIONSHIP
THAT JARED KUSHNER HAS WITH
NETANYAHU AND HOW MUCH OF THE
MIDEAST PEACE PLAN IS RIDING ON
NETANYAHU GETTING ELECTED.
HE IS REALLY SOMEONE THEY FORMED
AN ALLIANCE WITH.
THIS PEACE PLAN THEY HAVE BEEN
WORKING ON FALLS APART TO ANY
EXTENT THAT THERE IS A PEACE
PLAN AT THIS POINT.
>> HOW MUCH OF THIS IS TRUMP’S
CONNECTION WITH AMERICAN
EVANGELICALS?
EVANGELICALS? >> I THINK THAT PLAYS A ROLE.
IT HELPS SHORE UP HIS CONTINUING
SUPPORT FROM THE EVANGELICALS
AND GIVES THEM A REASON TO
FORGIVE ALL THE UNEVANGELICAL
THINGS HE DOES.
BUT ALSO, LET’S NOT FORGET THAT
HE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY TRUMP LIKE
A VIOLIN AND GIVES HIM THEWHAT H
THINKS HE OUGHT TO GET
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. HE GIVES IT TO HIM QUITE
SKILLFULLY.
SKILLFULLY. >> HE IS TALKING TO ROOSEVELT.
>> HE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY HIM
REALLY WELL.
REALLY WELL. THIS WILL TURN OUT TO BE ONE OF
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL LEGACIES
OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
SHE SQUEEZING TOOTHPASTE OUT OF
THE TUBE AND I DON’T KNOW IF IT
CAN BE PUT BACK.
>> FOR ALL OF OUR VIEWERS, IF BB
GOES DOWN, IS THIS AN OUTPOST OF
TRUMP BEFORE HIS REELECTION?
>> IT’S HARD TO TELL HOW MUCH
THE ISRAELI POPULOUS CAN REFLECT
THE U.S., BUT NETANYAHU REFLECTS
THIS SIMILAR STYLE OF TRUMP.
THEY ARE BOTH THESE TAKE NO
PRISONERS POLITICAL FIGHTERS.
THEY GET BACKED BY THE SENSE OF
NATIONALISM.
NATIONALISM. THEY SHRUG POLITICAL NORMS AND
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS. I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO THE BOND
AND THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THESE
TWO HAVE DEVELOPED AND A LOT OF
WAYS THEY HAVE THE SAME STYLE.
AS WE SORT OF SAW THIS WAVE OF
TRUMPIAN CANDIDATES AROUND THE
WORLD COME UP, WE COULD LOOK
YEARS FROM NOW AND SAY THIS WAS
THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THAT
WAVE OF TRUMPIAN NATIONALIST
KANDSIDATE
KANDSIDATE CANDIDATES.
CANDIDATES. >> THE JEWISH COALITION HE SAID
HE SUPPORTED THEIR PRIME
MINISTER, NETANYAHU.
MINISTER, NETANYAHU. >> I STOOD WITH PRIME MINISTER
NETANYAHU, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU.
HOW IS THE RACE GOING, BY THE
WAY?
WAY? WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE RACE?
I DON’T KNOW.
IT’S GOING TO BE CLOSE.
I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE CLOSE.
TWO GOOD PEOPLE.
BUT I STOOD WITH YOUR PRIME
MINISTER AT THE WHITE HOUSE TO
RECOGNIZE ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY
OVER THE GOLAN HEIGHTS.
>> SO PEOPLE JUMPED ON THAT
TERM, YOUR.
TERM, YOUR. I’M NOT SURE.
>> THEY ARE AMERICANS.
DEMOCRAT OR PROGRESSIVE SAID
THAT.
THAT. IF OMAR SAID THAT, IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN.
BEEN. >> SHOCKING, I GET IT.
>> IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SCREAMING
HEADLINES.
HEADLINES. >> THE UNITED STATES HAS A
POLICY.
POLICY. WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE RIGHTS,
TOO.
TOO. YOU HAVE A LOT OF ARABS IN
ISRAEL.
ISRAEL. ALMOST ALL ARABS WANT TO HAVE A
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. WE WILL WORK THIS THING OUT.
THEY ARE NOT DOING THAT.
>> THAT’S NOT THE POLICY NOW.
BB HAS FORECLOSED THE
POSSIBILITY OF A TWO-STATE
SOLUTION BECAUSE HE’S OFFERING
SWISS CHEESE, BASICALLY.
>> HE’S RECOGNIZED ALL THE
EXISTING SETTLEMENTS AND THE
OUTPOST SETTLEMENTS WILL BE PART
OF GREATER ISRAEL.
>> WHO CAN ACCEPT THAT?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DEFAULT TO
A ONE-STATE SOLUTION?
THAT’S THE QUESTION.
THAT WILL BE ANSWERED BY FUTURE
GENERATIONS.
GENERATIONS. >> THEY SUGGEST THAT A ONE-STATE
WILL BE ARAB MAINLY.
>> IT’S RELENTLESS.
HE SAID IN A ONE-STATE SOLUTION
AND WE WILL FIND OUT WHAT THAT
LOOKED LIKE.
LOOKED LIKE. >> I WAS IN ISRAEL IN THE EARLY
70s AND THAT ISSUE OF CAN ISRAEL
BE A DEMOCRACY AND CAN BEIT BE A
JEWISH STATE IF YOU ANNEX?
THAT CONUNDRUM SITS IN THE FACE
OF EVERY VOTER.
HOW DO YOU HAVE A DEMOCRACY IF
YOU INCLUDE SO MANY MAJORITY
PEOPLE IF YOU BRING ALL IN THE
WEST BANK?
WEST BANK? HOW DO YOU DO IT?
>> THAT MAKES THE PROBLEM SO
DIFFICULT TO SOLVE AND WHY WE
ARE STRUGGLING WITH IT.
I THINK ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT
THE PRESIDENT SAID HE TRIED TO
DO WITH MOVING THE EMBASSY IS
TAKING THE CONTENTIOUS ISSUES
OFF THE TABLE AND SAYING IT’S
SETTLE AND IT’S DONE AND NOW TRY
TO NEGOTIATE.
TO NEGOTIATE. THAT DOESN’T APPEAR TO BE
WORKING SO FAR.
OUR REPORTING FROM MY COLLEAGUES
IN THE MIDEAST SHOW THIS HAS
BEEN A BIG SET BACK.
THE GOLAN HEIGHTS MOVE.
YOU CANNOT GET THEM TO THE TABLE