“’He ran his campaign as a man in another league who had mastered the delicate diplomacy of this moment,’ said Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. ‘This definitely weakens the argument.’

“Israel would have objected to the withdrawal of U.S. troops under any circumstances, Shapiro said. But to have such a major policy shift dropped without notice — catching even Pentagon and State Department officials unaware — has baffled policymakers here.

“‘The chaos just adds to it,’ said Shapiro. ‘They know they can’t criticize Trump because of the blowback they know would follow. They’re stuck…'”

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