Bennett Sends Warm Birthday Greeting to Trump - But Stays Silent on Iran Deal

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued a warm public birthday greeting to former US President Donald Trump on Sunday, marking Trump's 80th birthday with effusive praise for his historic policy decisions on Israel, while conspicuously avoiding any mention of the controversial nuclear negotiations currently underway with Iran.

Bennett posted the message on his X account (formerly Twitter), declaring: "Happy Birthday Donald Trump! The people of Israel stand together today to wish President Donald Trump a historic 80th birthday." The former prime minister went on to catalog what he described as Trump's transformative leadership during his White House tenure, calling it "an unforgettable chapter in the history of our nation."

The greeting highlighted several landmark decisions that reshaped Israel's strategic position in the region. Bennett specifically praised Trump for "standing by us in our darkest hours, fighting for the return of our hostages, recognizing our sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and courageously making Jerusalem, our eternal capital, the honored home of the American embassy."

The message reflects the broad consensus within Israel's political establishment regarding Trump's tenure, which saw unprecedented American recognition of Israeli territorial claims and symbolic gestures that previous administrations had avoided for decades. The 2017 decision to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the 2019 recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights both drew widespread support across Israel's political spectrum.

Yet the timing of Bennett's greeting — and what it omitted — has drawn attention in Israeli political circles. The former prime minister made no reference whatsoever to the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran over a potential memorandum of understanding on Iran's nuclear program, a topic that has dominated Israeli security discourse in recent weeks.

According to reports in Israeli media, the proposed framework includes provisions for $300 billion in compensation to Iran and the full lifting of naval blockades, while leaving Iran's ballistic missile program and regional militia networks untouched. The Fars News Agency reported Sunday that Iran has yet to reach a final decision on the American proposal, with political, legal, and technical aspects still under review at multiple levels of the Iranian government.

Bennett's decision to focus exclusively on territorial and symbolic achievements while sidestepping the nuclear question appears deliberate. The former prime minister has been navigating a complex political landscape as he attempts to rebuild his political standing following the collapse of his short-lived government in 2022.

Sources close to Bennett have recently voiced frustration with his current political trajectory. Channel 13 political correspondent Michael Shemesh reported Thursday that figures in Bennett's circle now view his alliance with Yair Lapid as a major strategic error, with some calling it "a huge political mistake" that has caused their joint campaign to "gradually fall apart."

The birthday greeting to Trump may signal Bennett's effort to maintain credibility with Israel's center-right voters while avoiding entanglement in the divisive Iran debate that has split Israeli public opinion.