AILSA CHANG, HOST:
What is the state of Israel's relationship with the U.S. almost three years after the October 7 attacks and now in the midst of another Middle East war with Iran? There are signs that this once-tight bond between the two countries is changing, with the Trump administration recently sidelining Israel in the Iran war and in the talks to end that war and also sidelining Israel when it comes to a reported new nuclear deal in Israel's backyard. Public opposition to Israel is growing in the U.S. as well, at least on the left. Just yesterday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a, quote, "war criminal." And he said that Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City.
To talk about all of this, we have invited back Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. Welcome back to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, ambassador.
DANNY DANON: Thank you for having me.
CHANG: Thank you for being with us again. First, let me just get your reaction to Mayor Mamdani's most recent comments.
DANON: Well, it's another stunt. You know, the mayor should be dealing with the garbage in New York. And unfortunately, he's not able to fulfill his campaign promises, so he's distracting the attention to other places. We all know there is no basis for this claim. Prime Minister Netanyahu will come to New York this coming September, will come into the U.N., will speak in the General Assembly. And Mayor Mamdani, I would advise him to do his job, you know, take care of the issues of the city of New York and not trying to play the role of a secretary of state or the president of the United States. He will not be able to impact the arrival of the prime minister.
CHANG: I just want to underline what you're saying. Netanyahu has not been deterred by Mamdani's comments. He will travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, even though the mayor wants the federal government to execute the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
DANON: Absolutely. On the contrary. With all due respect, it's a political stunt.
CHANG: I want to turn now to this reported nuclear deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump has approved this deal. And this deal would allow the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to develop a civilian nuclear program in partnership with U.S. companies. How does Israel view that deal?
DANON: So I'm not familiar with the details. I'm not sure whether it's true or not. But I can tell you that, you know, we work together with the U.S. We share the concerns for stability in the region. And so far, we have no disagreements, so.
CHANG: But this deal, as reported, could open the door for Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium within its borders. If that were to happen, how much of a concern would that be for Israel?
DANON: So, you know, I don't know the details. But one thing I will tell you, we want to see stability in the region. And when we looked at Iran, for example...
CHANG: Right. So hypothetically speaking, if this deal did allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium within its borders, how would Israel feel about that? I understand you haven't seen the actual deal, but how do you feel if that were to happen?
DANON: I cannot make a comment on a deal that I'm not familiar with the details. I can tell you that when it comes to Iran, and we heard the threats of the Iranian regime, what they want to do with their nuclear capabilities, we were very worried about it. And we took action about it. So I think if there will be some kind of an initiative, we will discuss it with our colleague in Washington. We will make sure that our concerns are being addressed.
CHANG: Well, let's talk about the region, because on this war with Iran, the temporary ceasefire has collapsed. And opportunities for a deal with Iran seem to be unraveling, at least right now as the U.S. resumes its bombing campaign against Iran. And it seems like Israel has not been involved in this latest round of strikes. Did Washington specifically ask Israel to sit out this latest round of attacks on Iran?
DANON: We're following very carefully the situation with Iran. We trust the judgment of President Trump and his team. And I can tell you that, you know, we are ready to attack in case Israel will be attacked.
CHANG: Did Washington specifically ask Israel to sit out this latest round of attacks on Iran?
DANON: We decided that if we are being attacked, we will retaliate immediately and forcefully. And we are getting prepared for such a scenario.
CHANG: Let me just rephrase the same question. It seems Israel has not been involved in this latest round of attacks on Iran by the U.S. And I am just curious, why is that the case? Is it advantageous for Israel to not be involved in this latest round?
DANON: So we are coordinating our activities with the U.S. We fought together with the U.S. against Iran, and if Israel will be under threat, or if there will be a request from the U.S. from Israel, I can assure you that we are ready. At this stage, we are following the situation very carefully. And we are sending a clear message about the consequences if Israel will be attacked again.
CHANG: I want to talk now about the specific relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. According to NPR's reporting, Netanyahu has been repeatedly asking for a personal meeting with President Trump but has not been able to get one. Why do you think that is?
DANON: Well, first, let's speak about the relationship. I think they have great relationship between the two leaders, if I'm not mistaken, Prime Minister Netanyahu met President Trump more than any other leader around the world. So it speaks for itself. You know, I lost counting of the number of times the prime minister came to Washington and met with President Trump.
CHANG: Yes. But Netanyahu, it sounds like, according to our reporting, wants another meeting with Trump but has not been able to schedule one with the president. Why do you think that is?
DANON: I don't think that's the issue. I think Prime Minister Netanyahu is thinking whether to attend the funeral of Lindsey Graham, who was a great friend of Israel. And I think that if the prime minister will come to the funeral, there will be a meeting with the president. But we have, you know, issues in the region. We have elections. So I think the prime minister will have to decide first if he's coming to the region or not.
CHANG: There are clear signs that Israel is not at the table in the same way that it once was. It's being sidelined in the reported Saudi Arabia nuclear deal. It's being sidelined in this latest round of attacks on Iran. And Israel has been absent in talks with Iran. And now we're seeing delays on scheduling a meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump. So do you feel Israel is not being valued by Washington in the way it once was?
DANON: Absolutely not. You know, I deal with the administration. I work together with the U.S. team here in the U.N. We work together, you know, we share the same thoughts and same goals with my colleagues in Washington. So, you know, as I said earlier, it doesn't mean that we will agree about everything all the time, but we are together. We share the information. We share the intelligence about the threats in the region. And I think there's an exaggeration about disagreement.
CHANG: Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. Thank you very much for your time again.
DANON: Thank you very much.
CHANG: And a note – after we taped this conversation, the U.S. Department of Energy released a statement on social media acknowledging the signing of a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. The commercial agreement would allow U.S. companies to run nuclear power plants on Saudi soil. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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