ISRAEL/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday [9-18-19] that Israeli officials ‘played’ President Donald Trump in their conversations with him, warning that a ‘healthy amount of skepticism’ is needed in dealings with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The comments came during a panel discussion at Harvard University in which Tillerson, who was fired by the president last year, touched on a variety of themes from his tenure, including Iran, his hiring freeze at the State Department and the unpredictable nature of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu…Netanyahu, a close ally of Trump, faces an uncertain future. Israel held its second parliamentary election in six months this week, and it appears that Netanyahu’s right-wing, Likud party will be unable to win a governing majority in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. Instead, it appears Likud and the centrist Blue and White Party will have an even number of seats in the Knesset, leaving Netanyahu’s future as prime minister uncertain. Benny Gantz, who leads the Blue and White Party, said he’s open to a coalition government but not a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu.”
–Arren Kimbel-Sanit, “Tillerson: Netanyahu, Israelis ‘played’ Trump,” Politico, September 19, 2019 2:49 pm