The worst that Netanyahu had anticipated or imagined in his wildest dreams happened all at once during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last Monday in Washington.
All of Netanyahu's ambitions were scaled back because they clashed with American interests—a paradox that is not easy to digest.
After the blessed "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation, Netanyahu launched a terrorist aggression against Gaza, then Lebanon, then Syria, followed by Iran and Yemen. He set grand objectives, the most important of which were: reshaping and rebuilding the Middle East, eliminating resistance forces, securing the release of prisoners, and preparing his army to carry out a large-scale attack on Iran to destroy its various military and nuclear capabilities.
With Trump's victory in the presidency, Netanyahu believed his grand project for the Middle East was on the verge of realization. He expanded his aggression against Syria, continued occupying positions in Lebanon, withdrew from the Gaza ceasefire agreement, and moved closer to executing an attack on Iran—awaiting a signal from Washington.
Suddenly, Trump summoned Netanyahu for a meeting in Washington. Opinions were divided about the expected agenda of the visit.
After their half-hour meeting concluded, Trump dropped a bombshell in front of journalists, with Netanyahu present—a triple blow of heavy caliber:
- Washington will begin direct talks with Tehran on Saturday, April 12, in the Sultanate of Oman. This contradicts Netanyahu's plan to destroy Iran's nuclear, military, and economic capabilities, grants legitimacy to the continuation of the Iranian regime, and leads to U.S.-Iranian convergence on multiple issues, including economic and oil-related matters.
This means the U.S. will turn a blind eye to many issues related to Iranian influence—if Tehran succeeds in giving Trump what he wants, which is likely to happen.
Israel's strategic security assessments—which consider Iran's nuclear program an existential threat to the Zionist entity that must be militarily destroyed—have collapsed. - Trump asked Netanyahu to resolve his issues in Syria directly with Erdogan. This means Israel must take Turkish interests in Syria into account and stop targeting Turks—a direct contradiction to Israel's core stance opposing changes in Syria, including the rise of Ahmad al-Shara (close to Turkey) to Syria's presidency and the restructuring of the army and security apparatus by integrating Islamist forces into the state and its institutions.
- The war in Gaza must end. This contradicts Netanyahu's desire to prolong the war and abandon Zionist prisoners, which could trigger an internal crisis for him, adding to his various other crises.
The disappointment was evident on Netanyahu's face. He and his team were shocked, and this came at a difficult time internally for Israel, as divisions deepen and Netanyahu faces major challenges, trials, and corruption investigations.
The significant divergence between American and Israeli interests has become clear. This means Netanyahu's policies will collide with yet another wall, forcing him to freeze his plans—leading to further domestic exposure and possibly disrupting his relationship with his allies.
The Middle East is now beyond Netanyahu's vision and is being shaped according to Trump's equation, which greatly disturbs Netanyahu. Yet, he has no choice but to swallow the bitter pill.
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