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2026-02-13 Israel-Palestine-Jordan
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Destroyer of Idylls: Trump Refused to Speak with Netanyahu One-on-One
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Leonid Tsukanov
| Or it was a working meeting and they wanted everyone on the same page with the same information with minimum time expended in busy schedules for an impromptu event. See here for the after action report from Israel. |
[REGNUM] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington to personally explain the intricacies of Middle East policy to Donald Trump and urge him to take swift and tough action.
Netanyahu had a lot of questions for the White House, but he still hadn't received clear answers to most of them.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES
Netanyahu arrived in Washington with a litany of grievances. The bulk of them, of course, concerned future actions against Iran. Judging by leaks from the field, the US repeatedly shifted the contours of its proposed anti-Iranian operation, sometimes relying on Israeli resources, sometimes intending to attack independently, sometimes allowing its ally to launch preemptive strikes, and sometimes, just as unexpectedly, banning any activity against Iran.
The Israelis were unable to comprehend why Trump suddenly switched from bellicose rhetoric to peaceful one and began demonstrating unprecedented flexibility in negotiations with Tehran. This included calmly accepting the Persians' unilateral demand to move the meeting from Turkey to Oman, something that had previously been unacceptable to American negotiators.
As expected, the situation wasn't limited to Iran alone. For example, on the eve of Netanyahu's visit, it became known that the US was prepared to allow Hamas to bypass the full disarmament process. The Palestinian movement would be allowed to retain its small arms in exchange for a commitment to comply with the terms of the US plan. This conflicts with Israel's position, which had demanded complete submission and demilitarization from the Palestinians.
This, in turn, compounded long-standing irritation over Trump's plans to retain Turkey and Qatar's seats on the international monitoring body for the Gaza Strip. Given Ankara and Doha's close ties with Hamas leaders, Israel perceived this as a betrayal and expected Washington to somehow compensate for the diplomatic inconvenience. Instead, the United States decided to further complicate the situation by relaxing its demands on the Palestinian organization.
However, to avoid accidentally angering the US president with criticism, Netanyahu decided to sweeten the pill a little and signed an agreement to join the Peace Council, created to monitor the situation in the Gaza Strip. Although Israel had previously repeatedly stated that it would not join the format until Hamas began to comply with the terms of the "peace deal."
The agreement was signed at a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Blair House. The two sides also exchanged views on the "Palestinian dossier" and even seemed to reach an understanding. At least, that's what Rubio, in high spirits, reported to the press.
However, the savvy Israeli quickly shattered the idyll, announcing behind the scenes that his meeting with the Americans should be considered part of the country's work within the Peace Council. This meant there was no need for Israeli representatives to attend the first meeting, which would take place in Washington on February 19.
Whether he was joking or not remains a mystery to the Americans.
UNCOMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT
Although the discussions during Netanyahu's visit to the US were largely held behind closed doors, some protocol details did not escape prying eyes.
Firstly, the Israeli prime minister was greeted without fanfare: he was forced to enter the White House through a rear entrance due to a large crowd of protesters threatening to tear the high-ranking guest apart. This was a marked departure from Netanyahu's previous visits to Washington, when the representative of the "Middle East's only democracy" was greeted with lavish fanfare.
What also aroused curiosity was the fact that the Israeli prime minister persistently tried to move the negotiations to a one-on-one format, without inviting Trump's numerous confidantes—even when he gently hinted that the guests were not Americans.
Netanyahu's desire to discuss key issues face-to-face is understandable. Those close to Trump are pursuing their own interests in the negotiations. For example, the president's adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is closely connected to Saudi Arabia's lobbying circles and is close friends with the crown prince, while White House Special Representative Steve Witkoff is pursuing large-scale business projects in Qatar through his relatives and close friends.
Neither Riyadh nor Doha wants a major war on their borders—especially since the risk of falling under Iranian "preemptive strikes" this time is much higher—and so they likely "charged" their lobbyists to dissuade Trump from a rash military operation. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, whom Netanyahu dispatched in early February to negotiate with the White House on coordinating strikes on Iran, complained to the president about the appeasing rhetoric of American officials.
Ultimately, the Israeli prime minister managed to persuade Trump to discuss sensitive topics, including a top-secret intelligence report on Iran's nuclear capabilities, in closed, brief talks, citing the fact that he had already held discussions with both of his aides the day before. However, even here, the US president only made partial concessions: during the final stage of the talks, not only Kushner and Witkoff sat with him, but also Secretary of State Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
CONCENTRATION OF FORCES
Ultimately, the White House managed to convince the Israeli prime minister that negotiations with Iran must continue—at least as long as Tehran remains willing to engage. Trump boasted that the Persians' previous refusal to pursue diplomacy had resulted in attacks on their infrastructure, which they are "still forced to rebuild."
Netanyahu's office wisely echoed this positive sentiment, noting that Israel's aspirations "were heard" and the two sides had reached a "full understanding" regarding future actions in the Middle East. In other words, the Israelis agreed to hold off on the strikes on Iran for a while, allowing Trump time to play the peacemaker.
However, his peaceful stance does not guarantee stability. Amid US-Israeli negotiations, the deployment of American forces to the Middle East has accelerated. Reconnaissance aircraft and UAV activity near Iran's borders has also increased. The concentration of strike assets has increased. According to the latest estimates, 150 Tomahawk missiles on various platforms are concentrated near Iran—five times more than the US used during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025.
However, Trump, apparently, is still unsatisfied with his anti-Iranian "striking force" and is deploying new forces to the region. For example, a naval group led by the aircraft carrier USS George Bush has received orders to prepare for a possible deployment to the Middle East. If the order to redeploy is indeed given, this carrier group will be the second, after the USS Abraham Lincoln, to anchor near Iran's borders.
Netanyahu is struggling to hide his disappointment with Trump's current actions. The Israeli prime minister is finding it increasingly difficult to use the anti-Iranian factor as a rallying point for his electorate, and this threatens his own political future.
On the other hand, the Israeli prime minister has known the Republican for some time and is well aware of his impulsiveness. Therefore, he likely hopes to convert this into a favorable political solution if the opportunity arises. This doesn't necessarily have to be a military operation—a carte blanche to destabilize Iran from within or hunt for Persian nuclear scientists would suffice. Israel is generally willing to accept any compromise.
The only thing left to do is wait for a convenient opportunity.
| Given the following from the Times of Israel, it’s clear President Trump is not working against Bibi, but just that each is advocating for his own country’s needs, much as certain parties would dearly love Israel to be hated by someone whose opinion matters: |
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Posted by badanov 2026-02-13 00:00||
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Posted by Jairong+Scourge+of+the+Gepids2435 2026-02-13 09:11||
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