Dealing with Netanyahu 'incredibly frustrating', US officials say
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A Politico correspondent says Benjamin Netanyahu has held the position of Israeli Prime minister for far too long and is prolonging the war on Gaza to avoid prison time.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a weekly cabinet meeting in "Tel Aviv" on January 7, 2024. (AP)
US officials are growing increasingly frustrated dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is waging a war while attempting to escape imprisonment, preserve his corrupt legacy, and keep his political allies pleased, a report by Politico revealed.
Politico's Nahal Toosi wrote that US officials are being forced to work with the Israeli Prime Minister as they try to contain the damage of the war on Gaza internationally and domestically, and some are beginning to wonder if Netanyahu is even calling the shots.
The far-right individuals in his coalition, particularly ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, hold strong anti-Palestinian sentiments and are opposed to US ideas that they believe are overly supportive of the Palestinians. By upsetting them, he risks losing his prime ministership, exacerbating his legal problems and therefore making him reluctant to take American advice regarding restraint in the aggression on Gaza.
This is particularly worrying for Netanyahu as the head of the Israeli opposition Yair Lapid slammed Netanyahu for not being qualified to lead the occupation entity, calling on "National Unity" MKs to leave the emergency government, as per Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
An anonymous US official told Toosi that "it's not always clear who's driving the train," recalling that Netanyahu has sometimes admitted to having his "hands tied" due to his coalition.
Aaron David Miller, a former negotiator, called him "desperate" and a "terrible example of a leader who has conflated his own political survival with what he considers to be the best interests of this country. It’s a horrible combination, and it leads to terrible decision-making."
US officials forced to 'Bibi-sit'
Some officials told Toosi that Netanyahu's more likely to remain in power the longer the war is extended.
Biden's regular contact with Netanyahu and Blinken's "Israel's" visit along with numerous other US officials is something Toosi reported many observers have called "Bibi-sitting".
Although a senior Israeli official claimed Netanyahu was "as robust as ever and is leading this war skillfully and judiciously," anonymous sources told Toosi that he is much more "chastened, tired, and hollowed-out than in the past."
Another US official called it "incredibly frustrating" that Netanyahu's pressure from the far-right impedes humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
A senior American official told NBC that Blinken will advise "Israel" about the need to halt war as soon as feasible, while Israeli media cited CNN quoting an administration official as saying that Netanyahu will be forced to choose the US way or the way of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
Disagreements have also surfaced regarding the Israeli outlook for post-war Gaza and recent comments by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich that Palestinians should be forced out of Gaza and be replaced with settlers "inflammatory and irresponsible" by the State Department.
Netanyahu has got to go
According to a report last week by The Economist, Netanyahu's weakness and desperation to stay in office have caused irrevocable mistakes in authority after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which has led to greater turmoil in the region.
The report mentions the 2 million Gazans facing famine, the Red Sea attacks on Israeli-bound vessels by Ansar Allah and the disruption to global trade, the escalation with Hezbollah at the northern border of occupied Palestine, and the recent assassination of a Hamas leader in Beirut.
The author argues that "Israel" has been forced to face the reality that its "security doctrine" which includes erecting walls, abandoning peace talks with Palestinians, and the Iron Dome has been ineffective, as seen by the events of October 7.
The report agrees with the Israeli goal of removing Hamas from power in Gaza while stressing that "Israel" should use force judiciously and let in a lot more aid. In addition, the Israeli occupation should have a solid post-war plan to create a "moderate Palestinian state," maintain support for the occupation in the US, and "deter Iran", according to the report.
To make matters worse, a new poll released recently has painted a clear picture of Netanyahu's ever-dwindling popularity among Israeli settlers. Only 15% of Israelis polled expressed they wanted the current Prime Minister to stay in power after the war on Gaza ends.
