Trump’s economic assault on Europe is terrible news for Israel
The Jewish state benefits from a stable international order — which the U.S. president is trying to upend
President Donald Trump on March 14 in Washington, DC. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Columnist Dan Perry March 14, 2025
The United States is turning its back on nearly 80 years of alliance with Europe and global leadership of the free world, a shift that presents profound dangers for Israel.
Every U.S. president since World War II, whether Democrat or Republican, upheld a vision of American global leadership rooted in multilateral alliances, free trade, and a commitment to democratic values. President Donald Trump has shattered that consensus, and his actions since taking office in February have left European allies in shock. He has all but abandoned Ukraine, vilified NATO, started trade wars with allies — just recently threatening a 200% tariff on European alcohol imports — and openly aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to weaken the continent by supporting far-right forces across Europe.
Trump’s broader vision of a fractured world, in which alliances are fluid and values are irrelevant, is profoundly dangerous. By aligning too closely with a U.S. that is in conflict with its longtime allies, thus distancing itself from Europe, Israel risks losing critical diplomatic and economic partnerships that have been essential to its growth and stability.
I can see why Trump’s transactional approach and tough rhetoric are appealing to some, and may actually be useful in shocking the Arab world into greater pragmatism. And there is no lack of short-sighted people in Israel and the U.S. Jewish community alike who are, at least currently, inclined to applaud Trump’s actions, given his broad support for Israel and bombastic focus on fighting antisemitism on campuses.
But politics is about balancing the bigger picture with short-term goals, and the bigger picture here is dispiriting, and even tragic: What’s really happening is that Trump is joining Putin in the effort to weaken Europe.
A strong and united Europe closely allied with the U.S. is an obstacle to Putin’s geopolitical ambitions. The European Union, along with NATO, has acted as a counterweight to Russian expansionism, supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression and imposing sanctions that have hampered Moscow’s economy.
By empowering far-right and nationalist movements across the continent, Putin aims to destabilize the EU from within, hoping that a divided Europe will be less capable of standing up to Russian influence. And by launching an economic war on Europe, Trump is opening up another front to complement his Russian counterpart’s efforts. If Europe is sidelined, Trump’s calculus goes, he’ll be less constrained by multilateral institutions and democratic norms.
Weakening the EU — whether by encouraging internal divisions or by pushing policies that diminish its economic strength — fits into Trump’s broader vision of a world in which the U.S. engages in unilateral deals rather than multilateral agreements.
That is also a world in which the global balance will shift palpably in Putin’s favor. Which would be dreadful for Israel.
The survival of a cohesive and stable transatlantic alliance is far more critical for Israel’s long-term security than the political biases of individual European politicians.
I am not blind to the fact that Israel often endures too much criticism in Europe, or to the satisfaction some Israelis and their allies might take in watching Trump treat the continent harshly. There is undeniable hypocrisy in the way some European leaders selectively apply their moral outrage. But in the greater scheme of things, that is not the main issue.
What matters most, here, is that a U.S.-EU divorce would weaken the foundations that have helped Israel thrive.
Israel has benefited immensely from the old world order. The Arab states have, in recent history, largely been deterred from taking more major actions against Israel by the strength of a unified West, which has nudged many of them to align with or seek accommodation with the Western bloc. A return to a multipolar, dog-eat-dog world would look much more like the conflict-ridden decades between the 1950s and 1980s, when the Middle East was a pawn in the hands of competing superpowers, with Soviet-backed regimes clashing with Western allies.
Moreover, if Israel eventually has to choose between the U.S. and Europe, it would have little choice but to side with America. This could severely harm its economic relationship with the EU, which is Israel’s largest trading partner. In 2023, Israel’s exports to the EU totaled around $17 billion, while imports from Europe reached nearly $24 billion. Disrupting these ties would have far-reaching economic consequences.
Beyond trade, the diplomatic and practical consequences of a U.S.-Europe rupture for Israel would be profound. If Israel aligns too closely with a U.S. that is in open conflict with Europe, it would risk losing its visa-free travel privileges to the Schengen Area, complicating business, tourism, and academic exchanges. European-funded research programs that have long bolstered Israeli technological and scientific advancement could become off-limits. Israeli participation in European sports leagues and cultural initiatives could be curtailed, further isolating the country from the Western mainstream.
Even intelligence-sharing and counterterrorism cooperation, which have been critical in maintaining Israel’s security, could suffer if diplomatic ties deteriorate.
But on an even broader level, at least part of Israel’s legitimacy on the global stage has stemmed from its historic alignment with democratic values, scientific advancement, and cultural humanism. The European project is decisively inclined toward liberalism and progressive values, based on lessons taken from the two world wars. However some may mock the EU for bureaucracy and overregulation, it does stand for the Enlightenment values that Trump disdains: liberal democracy, the primacy of science, rational discourse, human rights, and the rule of law.
While Israel has at times engaged with authoritarian regimes for tactical reasons, it has long positioned itself as a member of the liberal world. A world in which values no longer matter, where might is the only currency, and where instability could jeopardize the Jewish state at any moment, is an unpredictable and dangerous place for Israel.
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