Haaretz Writer: Trump Saved Israel from Political Suicide

Author: يوسي فيرتر

Analyst for party affairs at Haaretz, writer Yossi Verter, stated that U.S. President Donald Trump saved Israel from its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and from political suicide, after he became fed up with procrastinations and delays, and decided to impose an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). He added that Trump did not only apply pressure but "dictated to Netanyahu" the cessation of military operations in Gaza and the initiation of negotiations under the auspices of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with the participation of the Palestinian Authority. **Trump Sets the Pace** Verter stated in his article that Netanyahu is now fighting a battle "with all the cleverness he can muster" to cope with an agreement imposed on him from abroad, after Trump grew tired of his procrastination and his ongoing attempts to undermine any potential agreement. He added that Trump, who wants quick results, sent his son-in-law and former advisor Jared Kushner to lead the contacts after his previous envoy Steve Witkoff failed, considering that Kushner is the "strategic weapon" who knows Netanyahu well and is adept at dealing with his "tricks and maneuvers." The writer explained that Trump explicitly stated in a tweet: "I will not tolerate delays," adding that "everyone will be treated fairly,” referring to the fact that for him, Israel and Hamas are equal parties in negotiation. He continued that the American president affirmed just a day earlier that "both sides are ready for peace," a statement that no previous American president would have dared to make without being accused of bias against Israel. However, according to Verter, "he is allowed what others were not because he is aggressive, unpredictable, and has a direct approach that knows no evasion." He also noted that Trump, unlike his predecessor President Joe Biden, did not settle for statements, but imposed a clear course: an immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza, unconditional negotiations under regional auspices, involving the Palestinian Authority in post-war management, and guarantees to protect Hamas members from pursuit or liquidations. Verter adds that Netanyahu, in turn, had to abandon his previous plans to establish military administration in the Gaza Strip or annex parts of the West Bank, in addition to freezing his plans to create new settlements in Gaza, and accept a political horizon for a Palestinian state "in the distant future." The writer indicates that the agreement being prepared in Cairo, with the participation of representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, would not have happened if Trump had not been "tired of the Israeli futility" and decided to "save Israel from itself, and perhaps also from its prime minister who has devoted the past two years to a distorted and inverted priority of peace." He adds that the American president spoke clearly to the Israel Channel 12 reporter in Washington, Barak Ravid, saying: "Bibi has gone too far in Gaza, and Israel is losing international support," a statement that reflects Trump’s desire to prevent Israel from "political suicide" due to the practices of its extremist right-wing government. Verter pointed out that the timing of the negotiations is not coincidental, as they are set to begin in Cairo tomorrow, Monday, amid intense American pressure and a clear desire to achieve a breakthrough before the Jewish "Simchat Torah" holiday in 10 days, making the day on which Israel emerges from the "nightmare of hostages in Gaza." **No Opportunity for Netanyahu to Disrupt Negotiations** The writer believes that Netanyahu's government, which he describes as "extremely right-wing and barbaric," has shown no genuine interest in the lives of civilians, prisoners, or soldiers, but treated them as "worthless shells." He points out that the Israeli prime minister did not include the issue of prisoners among the goals of the war until after strong pressure from the head of the National Unity Party Benny Gantz and former War Council member Gadi Eisenkot, just one week after the military operations began. He adds that Netanyahu returned and claimed in his televised speech last night that "his personal efforts and firm perseverance" were what led to the new agreement, despite everyone knowing that it was forced upon him. In fact, the writer almost asserts that "if Trump had not grown weary of Netanyahu's obstacles, the Israeli army could have invaded Gaza, and the hostages would have been killed or disappeared under the rubble." Verter believes that Netanyahu, who avoided meeting with the families of the captives during his last visit to Washington, is now trying to benefit from the agreement politically, possibly paving the way for early elections after the exchange deal is accomplished, even if he temporarily has to break his alliance with the parties "Otzma Yehudit" and "Religious Zionism," led by Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who have repeatedly contributed to the failure of previous deals, with Netanyahu's implicit approval. The writer states that "analysts in Israel believe that the moment after the release of the prisoners will be the most appropriate opportunity for Netanyahu to call for elections," but he questions whether the prime minister sees things the same way. According to the article, Israeli Minister Ron Dermer, close to Netanyahu, is scheduled to participate in the Cairo negotiations, who was previously appointed to head the negotiation team with the aim of disrupting it, but this time he is "forced to change his behavior and comply with the new reality." David Zini will also take office today as the new head of the Shin Bet security service, who had previously stated that he "does not believe in deals but in force only," yet the writer sees his influence now as limited, after the political process became "an irreversible fact." The writer concludes his article by stating that the implementation of the first phase of the agreement, which is the release of all 48 prisoners, is now "the most important test," pointing out that many of them are in poor health and psychological conditions. He adds that Israel could have reached this point many months ago "if it had been run by a rational government, not bloodthirsty," stressing that Trump—despite his own motives—was the one who ultimately forced everyone to retreat, and that "the train has left the station and will not go back." Source: Haaretz