The report states that in the period before the start of the war against the Iranian regime on February 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was much more in touch with Donald Trump and led negotiations at the crisis center in Washington. Only a few weeks later, however, the leadership of Israel stopped receiving information about negotiations between the US and Iran.
The paper’s sources claim that Israel has been “sidelined” by the Trump administration. “Moving from the cockpit to economy class could have potentially significant consequences for Israel,” writes the NYT. Israeli officials spoke to the newspaper anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
Netanyahu has long presented himself to Israeli voters as a person who has an extraordinary ability to gain and maintain Trump’s support. In a televised speech at the start of the war, he portrayed himself as the president’s equal partner, assuring Israelis that he and Trump talk “almost every day,” exchange ideas and advice, and “make decisions together.”
However, many people from Trump’s inner circle considered the idea of regime change to be absurd from the beginning, writes the NYT. The countries’ priorities began to diverge after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring and prompting Trump to agree to a cease-fire.
During the war, Trump changed his position on Israeli attacks on Iran several times, first claiming that he did not know about them, then criticizing Israel, and finally admitting that he had discussed the planned operations with Netanyahu, although he did not want to approve them. At the same time, he pressured Israel to limit the fighting against Hezbollah.
The war did not bring Israel the main goals it had set. They failed to overthrow the Iranian regime or destroy the Iranian nuclear and missile programs. Instead of decisively weakening Iran, there is now a danger that the United States will conclude a new agreement with Tehran similar to the 2015 nuclear deal, which Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed. For Israel, the result of the conflict may be a political weakening rather than a strategic victory, writes the newspaper.
Israel also has other concerns about a possible agreement between the US and Iran, for example about the possible lifting of economic sanctions against Tehran. This could provide Iran with an economic bailout and bring in billions of dollars that it could use to re-arm and support its allied militias, such as Hezbollah.
