Tag: Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu tried to reach Trump to block Zarif meeting

Axios logoWhile Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was making his way to France for a surprise visit at the G7 summit on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team scrambled to make sure President Trump wouldn’t meet with him, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

Netanyahu frantically tried to get President Trump on the phone — who was in back-to-back meetings and couldn’t take the call — while his office contacted multiple senior Trump administration officials, trying to connect the two leaders.

Between the lines: The Israelis were worried that Trump — who loves making a deal and relishes the drama of an unconventional meeting (think Kim Jong-un) — would let French President Emmanuel Macron talk him into holding an unscheduled meeting with Zarif.

View the complete August 29 article by Jonathan Swan and Barak Ravid on the Axios website here.

Trump and Netanyahu Put Bipartisan Support for Israel at Risk

New York Times logoWASHINGTON — By pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel into barring an official visit by the first two Muslim women in Congress, President Trump is doubling down on a strategy aimed at dividing the Democratic Party and pushing some Jewish voters into the arms of Republicans.

But people in both parties warn that over the long term, the president could further erode bipartisan support for Israel, which has long relied on the United States as its most important ally.

In the run-up to his 2020 re-election campaign, Mr. Trump has spent months attacking the two freshman Democrats, Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, angering the Democratic Party as he seeks to paint Republicans as Israel’s only true friend in Washington.

View the complete August 16 article by Sheryl Gay Stolberg on The New York Times website here.

Golan Heights: Israel unveils ‘Trump Heights’ settlement

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a new settlement in the occupied Golan Heights, named after US President Donald Trump.

At a naming ceremony on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Trump Heights honoured Mr Trump for his decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

Building work has yet to begin but a sign bearing Mr Trump’s name and US and Israeli flags was unveiled.

Critics called the move a publicity stunt with no legal authority.

View the complete June 16 article on the BBC News website here.

Israel headed for new elections after Netanyahu fails to form coalition

(NOTE:  We usually don’t post international articles, but where Donald Trump and Jared Kushner have strong personal relationships with Mr. Netanyahu, and had been active in his re-election campaign, we felt it would be important to post.)

Less than two months after his biggest-ever electoral victory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed in a desperate bid to form a new government. The Knesset has now voted to hold a new election on Sept. 17.

Why it matters: This is a huge political defeat for Netanyahu. It’s the first time since the founding of Israel that a prime minister has missed the deadline to form a coalition after winning an election. Netanyahu opted for new elections before Israel’s president offered one of Netanyahu’s political rivals an opportunity to form a government.

Context: New elections will prevent Netanyahu from passing laws giving himself immunity from three pending indictments for bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

  • Netanyahu’s plans to pass legislation allowing politicians to override Supreme Court rulings will also be hampered.

View the complete May 29 article from Barak Ravid of Israel’s Channel 13 News on the Axios website here.

Chomsky: Trump Radically Interfered with Israel’s Election to Help Re-elect Netanyahu

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun a record fifth term in office after narrowing defeating former military chief Benny Gantz. In a discussion with Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Noam Chomsky talks about how President Trump directly interfered with the Israel election by repeatedly helping Netanyahu, from moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem to recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights in defiance of international law.

View the May 27 post with video and transcript here.