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The meeting with no cameras in the US: Yaakov Katz on whether Israel still has a seat at the table

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • Prime Minister Netanyahu met with former President Trump eight times, more than any other foreign leader since Trump's return to office, but the recent meeting lacked customary fanfare.
  • Despite identical official descriptions of the meeting as "productive and positive," analysts suggest Israel may have been braced for a less favorable reception and received nothing it sought.
  • Concerns are raised about Israel's diminishing influence in US foreign policy, with the country excluded from a forming coalition against Iran and facing questions about its strategic gains after recent conflicts.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent meeting with former President Donald Trump, his eighth, deviated significantly from previous encounters. Unlike past high-profile welcomes, this meeting lacked the usual South Portico greeting, photographer embrace, and press presence. Both governments issued identical, brief statements calling the discussion "productive and positive."

The fact that the positivity had to be stressed tells you what Israeli officials were braced for. Netanyahu avoided the Zelensky treatment. He also got nothing he came for.

— Yaakov KatzAnalyzing the implications of the recent meeting between Netanyahu and Trump.

However, Yaakov Katz, a senior fellow at the JPPI and former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, suggests this identical language masks underlying tensions. He argues that the need to stress positivity indicates Israeli officials were prepared for a potentially negative outcome, and that Netanyahu ultimately "got nothing he came for." Katz draws a contrast with the warm welcome extended to Lebanon's president and the Oval Office meeting with Iraq's prime minister.

Lebanon's president got the South Portico welcome. Iraq's prime minister got the Oval Office with cameras inside, and there is a coalition forming against Iran that Israel has not been invited to join, and Katz argues the exclusion is deliberate.

— Yaakov KatzHighlighting Israel's perceived diminished standing in US foreign policy.

Katz expresses concern that Israel is being excluded from a coalition forming against Iran, a move he believes is deliberate. He dismisses the counterargument that Iran's reduced aggression in the Gulf is sufficient reason to accept this exclusion, labeling it "short-term thinking." The analysis also touches on leaked footage of Senator Lindsey Graham and a New Yorker piece detailing how former Biden officials felt manipulated, raising questions about the individuals involved in Middle East negotiations.

Katz calls that short-term thinking, and explains what Israel gave up to get here.

— Jacob LaznikDescribing Katz's critique of the current approach to Iran.

Furthermore, Katz poses a critical question for Israelis to consider: after Netanyahu declared the "12 Day War" a victory for generations, what has changed eight months later that necessitated repeating the conflict? He implies that the strategic gains, if any, may not justify the repeated military action, questioning the long-term implications of recent decisions.

Netanyahu called the 12 Day War a victory for generations, so what changed eight months later that required doing it again?

— Yaakov KatzQuestioning the strategic rationale behind recent military actions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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