Haaretz: Trump will remove Netanyahu due to the high cost of maintaining him by applying financial pressure

According to Israeli Haaretz newspaper, US President-elect Donald Trump won’t waste any opportunity in trying to remove Benjamin Netanyahu, who needs high maintenance, despite the friendship that brought them together in the past.

In an opinion piece in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper, writer Eran Yashiv believes that it’s in Trump’s interest to remove Netanyahu from power because he is someone who needs constant attention, care and support, noting that his opinion isn’t an accurate prediction but rather an analysis of Trump’s volatile and unpredictable position, with economic considerations at the forefront.

“Netanyahu is seen by Americans as needing high maintenance,” said Yashiv, an economics lecturer, as Israel has received nearly $18 billion in military aid from the United States over the past year.

Trump has expressed a desire not to spend American taxpayer money on foreign conflicts, whether in Ukraine or Israel, and has acted accordingly; supporting ongoing unrest in the Middle East isn’t on his agenda.

Does Trump have a commitment to Netanyahu?

“No,” Yashiv says, arguing that Trump despises Netanyahu and resents the Israeli prime minister’s relationship with US President Joe Biden.

Now that he is freed from electoral considerations, his campaign promises have little value, he says.

According to the article a new question emerges:

How can Trump remove Netanyahu?

The answer, this can be done in two ways:

The first is by sending a message to the Israeli parties, especially the extremist parties, that Netanyahu’s career is over and they are likely to comply quickly, according to his expression.

Secondly, by applying financial pressure and using the carrot and stick approach with Netanyahu and his Likud party and what he called the other power brokers he will, at best, easily remove him from power.

Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday that the Israeli prime minister spoke to Trump to congratulate him on his election victory, adding that the conversation was “warm and friendly” and that they discussed “the Iranian threat” and the need to work together for Israel’s security.

“Your historic return to the White House gives the United States a new beginning and renews the commitment to the great alliance between Israel and the United States,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

For his part, Trump indicated that his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “very good”.