“The Honeymoon is Over”… Is Netanyahu Yielding to Trump to Avoid Zelensky’s Fate?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be heading towards accepting all demands from U.S. President Donald Trump in order to avoid the fate that befell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and to preserve the stark contrast in the reception both parties received in the Oval Office.

Political correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth, Itamar Eichner, wrote in an op-ed that “the first few months of Trump’s presidency appear to have been a honeymoon period for the Israeli government, and for Benjamin Netanyahu personally.”

Eichner added that “In the White House sits a president who understands Israel and the interests of Israelis and does not try to impose solutions and steps that are unappealing to us. Overall, it seems that Trump operates in a manner that aligns with the Israeli right-wing government, and he even goes further when suggesting the expulsion of Gaza’s residents and the construction of a Riviera there, which are solutions that even the Israeli right has not dared to propose.”

He further noted, “On the other hand, we also see that the hope for a partner in the White House has faltered. In a sense, instead of a partner, we have a landlord or a king.”

Eichner clarified that “Netanyahu met in the Oval Office with a man who makes strategic decisions on his behalf through his envoy, Steve Witkoff, who started working even before entering the White House and imposed the first phase of the hostage deal, which Netanyahu did not want. This is the agreement that could have been made nearly a year ago, and now it’s being forced upon him.”

The correspondent emphasized that “this is the same United States that is now, in fact, imposing the implementation of negotiations with Lebanon on the border, which Netanyahu certainly did not want. When Yair Lapid signed the economic waters agreement with Lebanon, Netanyahu described it as an agreement of betrayal and surrender and even promised to cancel it.”

Eichner also recalled that “Netanyahu previously surrendered to President Biden when he agreed to the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, and this surrender to the former president has turned into a surrender to Trump. In practice, Netanyahu will implement exactly the same agreement as Lapid.”

He mentioned that “Meanwhile, Israel’s government also discovered that direct negotiations are taking place between the United States and Hamas. While these negotiations did not succeed, and the United States announced that they would not be repeated, it is clear that these talks came from a position of strength, without consulting or asking the Israeli government.”

Eichner noted that “If these negotiations had succeeded, and Hamas had been smarter and understood that it was better for them to negotiate directly with Trump, we would have seen how all future steps would be imposed on us by the Americans, without any Israeli consideration. We also noticed that Hamas made exaggerated demands to release hundreds of militants in exchange for Alexander’s sticks, demands that even the Americans understood were inflated. As for the hostages, the American approach is certainly good news. Trump and his envoy Witkoff want to see the continuation of a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Unlike Biden, Netanyahu cannot say no to them, and Witkoff knows this.”

He continued, “Currently, regarding Israel’s negotiations with Hamas, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, Israel assesses that the chances of Hamas accepting Witkoff’s approach to release ten living prisoners and a sixty-day ceasefire are low. Therefore, Israel has proposed extending the first phase with smaller pulses of prisoner releases. Witkoff is currently expected to join the Doha talks.”

Eichner explained, “In addition to the dictates in the negotiations, Israel also obeys American dictates regarding announcements in the U.S., and the proof is the vote in favor of Russia and against Ukraine.”

He concluded: “We must honestly say: Israel is completely subjugated to the American agenda. Our surprise is that Trump not only wants to be the President of the United States, but he also wants to be the Prime Minister of Israel.”

Eichner further emphasized, “This is happening well for him, and the Israeli government accepts his demands with submission. Netanyahu will not face the same fate as Zelensky as long as he obeys Trump. The moment he stops obeying him, that will change, and Netanyahu knows this. Hence, Israel remained silent when the talks between envoy Bohler and Hamas were revealed, and it remained silent when Bohler laughed in interviews with Dermer and spoke about a coffee cup with Hamas leaders without understanding what he was doing.”

Regarding the agreement with Lebanon, Eichner stated, “In the talks in Naqoura, with representatives from the Israeli military, the U.S., France, and Lebanon – it was agreed to establish working groups aimed at stabilizing the region. These groups will focus on the following: the five points controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon, discussions on the Blue Line and the points that remain in dispute (a total of 13 points), and the issue of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel.”

He added, “Exceptionally, Israel, in coordination with the United States, and as a gesture of goodwill to Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, agreed to release five Lebanese prisoners, including one from Hezbollah. The prisoners were transferred to Lebanon yesterday, and Israel clarified that if the Lebanese army deploys in the south, Israel will begin withdrawing from the sites under its control.”

Nobel Prize

Eichner concluded that “Israel” also agreed to enter into discussions about the disputed border points with Lebanon, which have been ongoing for two years, based on the request of former envoy Amos Hochstein. The war prevented the implementation of the agreement, but it has long been handed over to the U.S. administration.

He clarified that “the Lebanese president’s gesture did not come out of nowhere; he is a president elected despite the Shiite axis and is taking steps behind the scenes against Hezbollah. For this reason, Israel wants to strengthen the moderate axis in Lebanon and is taking real steps here.”

He pointed out that “an Israeli-Lebanese agreement is in the American interest, and it is also in the interest of the strong regional player, the only one who is truly a partner to Trump – Saudi Arabia. The Saudis want to strengthen their regional position at the expense of a weakening Iran, and Trump, for his part, hopes to reach an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.”

He concluded: “Whether it is to win a Nobel Prize or to fill the pockets of his family and ‘Maltese’ billionaire friends, he will not hesitate to pay the Saudis ‘in Israeli currency,’ including concerning the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu and his government dare not express any objections, fearing they will become the Middle Eastern version of Volodymyr Zelensky.”