Netanyahu's Gamble, Trump's Deal: How Israel's Strongman Got Left Behind

For decades, Benjamin Netanyahu built his political identity around one single proposition: that he and he alone, could manage the relationship with Washington well enough to protect Israel's interests. The Israeli strongman's strategy worked during the Obama years, when he skillfully exploited the president's perceived hostility towards Israel to whip up domestic support. However, Netanyahu's reliance on this approach has left him exposed as the landscape of US politics has shifted. The Trump era, which began with a historic visit to the White House in 2017, marked a high point in Netanyahu's fortunes. The two leaders shared a deep affinity, and their relationship was marked by a series of unprecedented concessions, including the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. However, the aftermath of the 2020 US presidential election has seen Netanyahu's relationship with Washington rapidly deteriorate. The Biden administration has taken a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the US Congress has grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu's government. As a result, the Israeli prime minister has found himself struggling to adapt to a new reality in which his close ties to Trump are no longer a source of strength, but rather a liability. With his domestic opponents closing in and his international isolation deepening, Netanyahu's gamble on a close relationship with Trump has left him vulnerable to the changing winds of US politics.