Trump Is Crushing the Netanyahu Myth

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/05/netanyahu-trump-israel-gaza/682904/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=edit-promo

Posted by theatlantic

7 comments

  1. Yair Rosenberg:  “The evening that Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris, Netanyahu land rejoiced. The news anchors on Channel 14, Israel’s equivalent of Fox News, toasted Trump’s victory live on air. Yinon Magal, the ultranationalist host of Israel’s premier right-wing talk show, led his audience in a round of celebratory singing while Trump’s face grinned on the screen behind them. Benjamin Netanyahu himself congratulated Trump on ‘history’s greatest comeback.’ The Israeli leader and his allies seemed certain that Trump’s return to the White House heralded unconditional backing for their most fevered fantasies.

    “They were wrong. Last Friday, Trump wrapped up his tour of the Middle East, where he made deals and hobnobbed with America’s top allies in the region—except one. Israel was not invited to the party and was barely acknowledged in the foreign-policy address that the president delivered in Saudi Arabia. The snub followed more substantive slights. In recent weeks, Trump has surprised Netanyahu by announcing new nuclear negotiations with Iran, halting America’s campaign against the Houthis despite the terrorist group continuing to fire missiles at Israel, and going behind Israel’s back to secure the release of the American Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza. ‘There’s a great sense of unease here,’ Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said in an interview last week.

    “None of this should have been unexpected. Trump is famously mercurial and transactional, loyal only to his own self-interest. In his first term, as an unexpected outsider president, he needed international legitimacy and wins, and Israel gave him both in the form of the Abraham Accords. This time, Trump no longer needs legitimacy, and Israel’s war in Gaza is getting in the way of other potential regional wins, such as expanding the accords. In addition, the previous Trump administration’s Israel policy was significantly shaped by staff, and that staff has changed markedly with the introduction of an isolationist faction that seeks to extricate America from international commitments. Netanyahu put all of his chips on Trump nonetheless—a wager that now threatens to cost the Israeli prime minister the remnants of his legacy.”

    Read more: [https://theatln.tc/fTMc9zl1](https://theatln.tc/fTMc9zl1)

  3. Netanyahu just need to promise to build a Trump tower in Jerusalem and he’s gonna be back to fully supporting everything Israel does

  4. Trump has the advantage of not having to worry about AIPAC spending millions to unseat him, so it makes sense for him to finally stand up to Israel. Not only that, but he’s guaranteed to keep his popularity among his voter base no matter what. Few others can openly criticize Israel and not lose support like that (Bernie Sanders being another one).

    And I have to mention just how little Trump actually cares about what’s going on there. What he does care about is how kowtowing to Netanyahu makes him look. It makes him look weak and like he’s just a puppet. He HATES that.

  5. This article completely misses the point. Trump’s minimum on his worst day is still better than Kamala’s maximum. Israelis saw that clearly and were right to rejoice when he won.

    Trump resumed arms shipments to Israel, recognized that Hamas must be removed from Gaza if necessary by force, and accepted the consequences of war. He sanctioned the ICC, took a hard stance against Iranian uranium enrichment, and reaffirmed his commitment to preventing a nuclear Iran, including the possibility of joint military action with Israel if diplomacy fails.

    These are crucial positions, none of which are even remotely plausible under a Kamala administration. The entire premise of this “gotcha” is dull and detached from reality.

  6. There’s keeping distance politically and then there’s supporting israel with billions of dollars.

    This article is a nothing.

  7. Makes Joe Biden look even worse lol he should have grown a pair of balls and stood up to Netanyahu when he had the chance

Comments are closed.