Nothing is easy in the Middle East. That was actually the case.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He had barely made it back to Tel Aviv when a friend in the White House launched a scathing attack on the top man in Israeli politics.

No, not Netanyahu, whom Donald Trump continues to treat as a close friend.

No, the target is playing cardsThis infuriated Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The American leader said Herzog should be “ashamed” for not pardoning Netanyahu, who was not actually convicted of anything.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has indeed been accused of crimes in court. Israelnamely bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The criminal case against him has been going on for nearly six years, frequently interrupted by delays and excuses.

Israel’s prime minister often fails to appear in court, citing claims that he spends much of his time running the country.

He had always maintained that he wanted to prove his innocence in court, but late last year he formally applied for a pardon for the charges.

He said the incident had become a distraction. Opponents argued that only those who committed crimes should seek amnesty.

By this time, Mr. Trump was already on solid ground and had made it clear that he believed a pardon was warranted.

As a president who has granted pardons to the best part of 2,000 people over the past year, whether they were charged or convicted, he might think it would be a no-brainer. The Israeli president doesn’t seem to agree.

Herzog issued a statement saying the legal process behind this decision was long and unwieldy, and that he could not make the decision on his own.

He also said he was “deeply grateful to President Trump,” who just told Herzog he should be ashamed.

It’s hard to imagine the level of contempt it would take for an Israeli politician to actually denounce Trump publicly, but we’re not there yet.

But there are also tensions.

This was Netanyahu’s sixth visit to Washington, D.C., since Trump returned to office, but it was the least high-profile visit.

He arrived without any fanfare and there was no press conference after the meeting.

However, the nuances were clear.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, along with his Israeli cabinet colleagues, worries that the United States will end up going soft on Iran, giving it a deal on nuclear enrichment, easing sanctions and doing nothing to limit its ballistic missile arsenal and control of proxies such as Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.

“I have made no secret of my general skepticism about the nature of any deal with Iran,” Netanyahu said, perhaps his most critical comments yet about President Trump.

Shortly afterward, as if to appease Americans, he described him as “a great friend of the State of Israel and a man like no other.”

There is no hiding the division that currently exists between these two countries, which have been allies for a very long time.

Israel is desperate for action against Iran’s growing missile stockpile, and the United States is focused on halting nuclear enrichment.

J.D. Vance has thrown a lot of water at the US for taking military action out of fear of American casualties if Iran responds by targeting various bases in the Middle East.

Almost certainly it will.

Behind the scenes, Israel is planning what will happen if it feels the need to take unilateral action, which still requires the Trump administration’s consent.

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For example, are the Americans ready to replenish missiles that are crucial to Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, even if they do not actually fire the weapons?

You’d think the answer is yes, but do you know for sure?

But Prime Minister Netanyahu must tread carefully.

He faces a general election later this year, but there is no guarantee he will become prime minister beyond that.

In addition to facing criminal charges in Israel, he has also been indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court.

There are many countries that you cannot visit for fear of being arrested.

Israel’s prime minister is a pariah in the eyes of many, with few notable diplomatic friends except one, the world’s most powerful man.