“The fact that it is the president of the United States who is the one announcing a ceasefire only highlights how disconnected the prime minister of Israel is from the people, and from the reality of the residents of the north,” said Metula Mayor David Azoulay. “Your basic duty as prime minister of Israel is to provide security to the citizens of the state. In practice, you fail at this time after time.”
Five years after Netanyahu’s June 2021 Knesset speech, he is now the one being pilloried for being unable to stand up to a US president when needed.
“A pattern is developing where a ceasefire is being forced upon us,” said Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces. “In Gaza, in Iran, and now in Lebanon.”
Netanyahu may not be willing to challenge Trump, but Iran certainly is. After securing a ceasefire extension by refusing to even show up for talks being led by no less than US Vice President JD Vance, it then seized container ships trying to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump has insisted it reopen to free trade.
Of all the major leaders in the West, only Bibi has figured out Trump.
ReplyDeleteConsider what he's accomplished. He received unlimited military aid for the final crushing of Gaza and the war in Lebanon. He got the Americans to bomb Fordow. He's now gotten the Americans to do the major part of smashing Iran to bits. Meanwhile Trump won't return Canada's calls and treats its European allies like they're annoyances. How come? Bibi knows how to massage Trump's ego. He's learned how to get Trump to do what he wants while making him think it's Trump's idea. And it's done very well for Israel so keep doing it. The occasional ceasefire (by the way, on the ground the war in Lebanon is still going on) doesn't hurt Israel.