Haaretz: Netanyahu’s visit to Washington is nothing but a showoff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the United States on Friday for Tel Aviv, following a five-day visit during which he met with senior US officials, most notably President Donald Trump, who received him twice.
Commenting on the visit, the Israeli Haaretz newspaper stated that Netanyahu left Washington without making any progress on the Gaza issue, contenting himself with vague promises from Trump and a showy performance dominated by self-aggrandizement at the expense of the substance of the issues.
“Netanyahu’s visit to Washington was expected to be a victory gesture, highlighting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and promoting them as successful setbacks to its nuclear program,” Haaretz said.
On Sunday, Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, began a five-day visit to Washington, his third in six months, during which he met twice with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Haaretz continued, “Many hoped that Trump would finally be able to secure a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that would include the release of the Israeli hostages, but this remained elusive, except for a brief truce sponsored by the US administration in its early days”.
Haaretz noted that even the most optimistic voices in Israel and the United States believed that progress on the Iran and Gaza issues could pave the way for what Netanyahu has long called the ‘new Middle East,’ in which the Palestinians would be marginalized in favor of broader normalization efforts.
However, Haaretz noted that with the visit’s conclusion, “the Gaza talks remain on hold, the future of Iran’s nuclear program and negotiations regarding it remain uncertain, and talk of broader regional integration still seems like an unattainable ambition”.
Haaretz continued, “This comes despite sensational reports of a quiet meeting on the sidelines of the summit in Washington between Israeli officials and their counterparts from Mauritania, the Islamic state in northwest Africa that recognized Israel before severing ties in 2010”.
In this context, Haaretz considered that what was viewed as a potential historic visit now seems, in hindsight, like something that could have been accomplished via email, downplaying the significance of its results.
Haaretz added, “Netanyahu used his visit primarily to compliment Trump, nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of the Abraham Accords and presenting him with a mezuzah (religious talisman) in the shape of a B-2 stealth bomber”.
The Israeli newspaper described the award as a “terrifying tribute,” stressing that it “matches the replica of the pager he gifted to Trump last year to commemorate the raid on Hezbollah members”.
Haaretz added, “In return, Netanyahu received a hat signed by Donald Trump that read: ‘Trump was right about everything'”.
