One issue facing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden as they are set to meet on Thursday is a major gap in intelligence-sharing left by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report by The New York Times.
While Netanyahu had worked together closely with the administration of former President Donald Trump, Israel's procedures changed once Biden entered office, with intelligence-sharing between the two countries being significantly rolled back.
Intelligence sharing declined during the Obama administration as well, which kept the existence of the negotiations with Iran a secret from Israel, a former administration official told the Times, although Israel learned about the meetings from its own sources.
During the Trump administration, however, cooperation increased dramatically. When the Mossad stole Iran's nuclear archives in 2018, Trump and then-CIA director Mike Pompeo were the only foreign officials briefed in advance.
That makes sense.
Why share intelligence with the un-intelligent?