Trump's Desire and Netanyahu's Wishes

Author: Jihad Harb

The statements of U.S. President Donald Trump raise the transition from the ongoing war of attrition, "the American strikes over the past two weeks on Iranian sites," to intensive military operations, as the world witnessed on the 39th day of the war that began on February 28, leading to the signing of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding.

The American president's desire for war, which drums are beating for in Washington, does not only return the region to a threat to regional stability at the military level, but also raises international concerns about the global economy, which has been affected over the past five months due to the deprivation of around a fifth of the global need for oil and its derivatives via the Strait of Hormuz.

This drumming in Washington is accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wishes to return to war and his desire to participate in it; to achieve internal political gains with the approaching legislative elections for the "Knesset," which represent a pivotal moment in Netanyahu's political life concerning his status in the political system and the role he plays following the failure to achieve the stated objectives of the war on Iran, which include toppling the Iranian regime, ending the Iranian nuclear program, destroying missile capabilities, and dismantling Iran's relationships with its allies in the region. On the ideological and biblical level, these objectives align with his dreams to impose the establishment of the State of Israel from the river to the sea and to prevent the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state between the river and the sea, restoring his status after rendering Israel a game in the hands of U.S. President Donald Trump, submissive to his needs, as Israeli opposition leaders have claimed that he has turned Israel into a "banana republic."

Netanyahu's wishes do not stop at issues of internal status, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or achieving his goals in Iran from returning to war; they extend to imposing Israel's status regionally as a military superpower, given that it is the greatest military power with the capabilities to impose realities on the ground, and as an economic player with technical superiority and experience in entrepreneurship, in contrast to the deteriorating economies of the region’s countries affected by the continuation of the war and the ability to export oil, the main element of the economies of most Gulf States.

Despite the immense destruction that has befallen the region, which needs many years to restore its countries' status at both the reconstruction and economic building levels, I believe the results of the war are not guaranteed in favor of the United States or Israel. As the poet says, Not everything Netanyahu wishes for he can achieve... The winds blow as Trump does not desire. This situation requires reconsideration of regional structures and necessary alliances to create stability and to build peace in the region for prosperity, development, and living with dignity, which is a possible opportunity after Netanyahu.