by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] As US President Donald Trump embarks on his first foreign tour of the Middle East, passions are running high in Israel. Tel Aviv is preparing for a “final strike” on the Gaza Strip, intending to finally defeat the Palestinian Hamas.
However, while the Israeli Prime Minister's office is choosing the directions for attacks, blows are being dealt to the image of Israel itself. And, paradoxically, they are being dealt by official Washington.
The policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet do not find support from Trump. The White House increasingly pushes the Israelis aside, reducing their participation in the American Middle East party to symbolic, thereby cooling the ardor of Israeli "hawks".
CONTOURS OF A QUARREL
The first signs of a rift emerged back in April, when Trump, caught up in the “tariff wars,” refused to make concessions to Israel.
Even Tel Aviv’s promises to provide “absolutely favorable” treatment for American capital and to abolish import duties on goods from the States did not help.
Bilateral relations were also damaged by US attempts to conduct direct negotiations with Hamas without the participation of the Israelis in March and May 2025.
In the latter case, Washington even managed to push through the release of one of the hostages with American citizenship. Tel Aviv was among the last to learn about the deal.
In addition, Trump has at least several times categorically prohibited the Israelis from striking Iranian territory. It has also forbidden the hunting of Iranian military advisers in third countries, for fear that this would sink the American-Iranian peaceful nuclear negotiations.
And then the US even agreed to a truce with the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis, leaving official Tel Aviv alone with the problem.
Even the talks on the possible normalization of relations between the new Syrian regime and Israel within the framework of the Abraham Accords took place in Riyadh without the direct participation of the Israelis. Trump formulated and voiced the roadmap single-handedly.
This is in stark contrast to the model of interaction with another candidate for reconciliation, Saudi Arabia, where Washington's rhetoric and position were determined with an eye to Tel Aviv's interests.
The Israeli opposition press
| …which is most of it, including the Times of Israel… |
Others go even further and predict that Trump is preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood “purely to spite” the Israeli right.
DISSATISFIED OFFICERS
As expected, opposition forces have come into motion in the wake of the cooling in US-Israeli relations. First and foremost, the retired military men opposing Netanyahu – the so-called “generals’ opposition.”
They are trying to convert the West’s discontent into political points and draw Washington’s attention to the fact that there are still “forces capable of reaching an agreement” within the country.
For example, the public movement “Commanders for Israel’s Security,” which unites over 550 retired Israeli military personnel, intelligence officers, and diplomats, recently sent an open letter to the American president, calling on him “not to listen to Netanyahu’s statements.”
In addition, the former security officials stressed that “the time for diplomacy is long overdue” because “the war in Gaza no longer serves Israel’s national goals” and undermines its achievements.
Among those who signed the document were heavyweights Danny Yatom (former chief of Mossad intelligence) and former chief of the General Staff Matan Vilnai.
The main points of the open letter quite clearly illustrate the desire of the opposition parliamentary forces (as well as the security bloc as a whole) to shift responsibility for the possible failure in Gaza onto the prime minister’s office.
And to remove from the attack military figures (Yoav Galant, Benny Gantz and others) who participated in the development and implementation of Operation Iron Swords against Hamas, but due to disagreements with Netanyahu became his critics.
At the same time, the opposition in uniform is trying to present itself as a force that tried in every way to dissuade the government from the Palestinian adventure and even called on the world arbiters – Trump – for help.
In the long term, this will make it possible to play on the nationwide fatigue from the fighting in Gaza and greatly increase the ratings of opposition parties, opening the way for them to power.
NEW THROW
However, even simultaneous pressure from within and without, apparently, cannot shake the Prime Minister's office's confidence in a quick victory over Hamas. Netanyahu is preparing for a new "cobra strike" in Gaza, promising the final defeat of the Palestinian movement.
The Israeli hunt for Hamas leaders also shows that the stakes are higher than ever. For example, a few days before the announced offensive, Israeli aircraft carried out several strikes on the city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. The target of the attack was reportedly the underground headquarters of the movement's leader, Mohammed Sinwar, where a meeting of key Palestinian functionaries was taking place that day.
The Israeli leadership hoped to use a pinpoint attack to decapitate and demoralize the movement in the face of an imminent offensive.
It is especially noteworthy that the attack on Khan Yunis was carried out in violation of the behind-the-scenes agreements between Tel Aviv and Hamas on a “silence regime” during meetings in Doha and Cairo, which jeopardized the entire further negotiation process.
On the other hand, Netanyahu's plan is doubted even by his allies. The previous "last throws" and liquidations of key commanders (Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and others) led to nothing.
| Almost of the Hamas leadership involved in 10/7 are now dead. Since Hamas is determined to continue to war — with intermittent hudnas — until Israel is finally conquered, the war will continue despite the objections of Bibi’s detractors and enemies, both external and internal, until either Israel is conquered or Hamas is gone. The question for the Israelis is whether Hamas will be evicted from Gaza or killed off. |
| …no — Iran has historically restored Hamas’s combat capability via Egypt. But this time Israel controls the border between Gaza and Egypt… |
The “final defeat of Hamas” announced by the authorities each time turned into a demonstration of inflated expectations, but was smoothed out thanks to Washington’s support.
Now, in the absence of clear support from the United States, it will be more difficult to hide the failure.
Trump will clearly not miss the chance to point out to his “younger brothers” their mistakes and incorrect assessment of their capabilities. And his attacks will be picked up and multiplied many times over by the opposition, for which the failure in Gaza will be an excellent chance to split the right-wing coalition.
And in this case, Netanyahu may well have to pay for his miscalculations with his seat as prime minister.
| This assumes any of the other Israeli politicians is politically savvy enough pull together a viable coalition. That’s where they keep falling down on the job. |