In late November, the Trump administration published a 33-page document detailing its national security strategy.

In stark contrast to the prevailing perception that US President Donald Trump operates by "shooting from the hip" without any underlying conceptual framework guiding his actions, the document reveals a coherent, clear policy and worldview. True to the president's style, the document is written in simple, understandable language while lavishing praise on his policies, capabilities, and achievements. Another expected characteristic of the document: an unequivocal, uncompromising emphasis on the "America First" concept as the leading principle of American policy.

Warning lights

Reading the document is fascinating and important – not only because of the window it provides for understanding the motives underlying the conduct of the most important superpower, but also because of the actions it requires Israel to take regarding Israeli policy. Therefore, an "Israeli reading" of the document allows us to categorize its main points into positive information for Israel, information that should trigger warning lights in the corridors of the Israeli establishment, and three concrete lessons that can be learned from Trump's America.

In the good news corner: three important messages for the State of Israel are the explicit reference to the American interest in Israel's security, the American desire to expand the Abraham Accords to additional countries in the Middle East and the Muslim world, and the importance the US attaches to developing cheap solutions for intercepting cheap threats.

In the local context, this can be translated into the importance our close ally places on finding cheap solutions for intercepting rockets and drones of the type Israel has been dealing with in recent years from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terrorist organizations.

Among the information that should trigger warning lights, three cornerstones for Israel are worth noting. First, it is noticeable that the US has treated Iran as a threat in the past. There is no reference to Iran's desire and capabilities to rearm, nor to its aspirations to restore its nuclear capabilities.

Second, the document explains the administration's perception of Hamas' weakening, partly due to the understanding that Hamas' supporters have taken a step back or have been significantly weakened. This approach contradicts the Israeli perception of Qatar and Turkey as Hamas-supporting states whose power in the region is rising, and it is particularly problematic for Israel due to the warm ties between the US and these countries.

The third challenge: the importance the US attaches to "burden sharing," meaning more equal participation in the burden of financing joint security expenditures. This concept poses a difficulty for Israel, especially now, when Israel needs strengthening in the defense budget after the war, and when the security agreement with the US is about to expire, and now is the time to negotiate its renewal.

The lessons Israel can draw from the document can also be focused on three: First, reading the document emphasizes the necessity for Israel to move from basing relations with the US on a concept of shared values to basing relations on Israel's value as an asset to the US. This is due to the importance the administration attaches to American interests in managing relationships with partners and in US policy in general.

Second, the document teaches about the importance the administration attaches to cooperation between the establishment and the business sector. For example, Trump emphasizes the importance of American companies in areas where the US wants to compete with China for infrastructure deals and tenders, as well as in areas where the US needs to learn about its competitors' capabilities in AI and emerging technologies.

Response to de-legitimization

In terms of implications for Israel, it is recommended that the establishment work in coordination and strategically with the Israeli business sector as part of the response to the de-legitimization challenges Israel is facing. Countries that rely on Israeli businesses, especially in technological fields, will think twice before yielding to popular activity to boycott or divest from Israel.

The other thing Israel can learn from the document is the importance and benefit of publishing it. At its opening, the document explains that for the US to remain the most successful country in the world, American citizens need to know what we are trying to do and why.

Beyond informing the public and recruiting it as a partner in the national strategy, publishing the document allows potential partners around the world to derive policy and maximize their activities to deepen ties with it. The Israeli public, Israel's partners, and countries interested in establishing ties with it would benefit from the same things if every elected government published a similar Israeli concept.