Strange days. The annual NATO summit is about to begin, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has sent Donald Trump what looks like a love note, which the president promptly posted on social media. Trump is going into the NATO summit with European leaders looking on him with some appreciation. Even German Chancellor Merz has praised Israel for “doing our dirty work” in setting back Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

This is a remarkable change of tone from, say, February’s Munich Security Conference, which was treated by the Europeans like the end of the European-American relationship. Now, though many European publics may be loathe to recognize it, Israel has provided a model for acting in its own interests with the U.S. as a final backstop rather than as the leader and micromanager.