Donald Trump’s abrupt deal with Iran has set off alarm in Israel and prompted a harsh assessment of the president’s reliability. The article says the agreement is a major setback after years of close alignment, including support during the recent joint military campaign against Tehran. It argues that Trump, who had praised Israel for months, now appears to see it as a burden, even refusing to brief Benjamin Netanyahu on the understanding despite their near-daily calls and long coordination.
The piece says the main lesson for Israeli decision-makers is that Israel cannot leave military fronts open for too long, because even allies lose patience. It notes that Trump blamed Israel for dragging out the Lebanon campaign and for failing to finish Hezbollah, while ignoring that U.S.-backed ceasefire terms and a ban on strikes on Beirut had limited the IDF. The writer says the only arena Israel must act in now is Gaza, where it still has not completed the mission of dismantling Hamas in the remaining 40 percent of the Strip. The article says the 20-point Trump plan requiring Hamas to disarm has already expired, and that renewed strikes in Gaza would not violate any agreement.
The article also pushes for annexation in Judea and Samaria, saying the government needs a concrete achievement before elections. It describes an effort by senior coalition figures in Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism to advance that idea, along with the claim that Israel’s wartime gains, including territory in enemy states, are impressive but will not remain politically useful for long. Netanyahu, meanwhile, is portrayed as avoiding a public break with Trump, hoping the relationship will recover and planning to help him in November’s midterm elections so Democrats do not gain power.
Domestically, Netanyahu is said to be shaping the Likud’s candidate-selection rules to protect his camp, including expanding the national list to place district candidates later and reducing district numbers. The article says this could push six to eight sitting lawmakers and ministers off the next list, or twice that many if the current system stays. It also describes tension with the ultra-Orthodox parties over draft and budget disputes, saying Moshe Gafni escalated the fight by directing United Torah Judaism lawmakers to oppose budget transfers, which angered Aryeh Deri, who wants calmer tactics and partial conscription legislation.
