Fears are mounting in Israel over a public rift emerging with the US, the country’s most important backer, amid reports that the ruling Likud party shelved an election campaign to promote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close ties with President Donald Trump.
Israeli broadcaster i24 News reported that the party made its decision several days ago as more information emerged about the preliminary agreement between the US and Iran to end fighting. The deal is viewed in Israel as significantly disadvantageous, with reported provisions to end its campaign in southern Lebanon and lift sanctions on Iran.
According to reports, the deal would not dismantle the country’s nuclear industry and would not prevent Iran from continuing its ballistic missile programme and its sponsoring of regional proxies, which Israel says are key threats to its security.
The report in i24 is another sign of what could prove to be an unprecedented rift in US-Israel relations, although there have been many reports of American anger since the Gaza war broke out. Mr Netanyahu, a fluent English speaker who worked in the US, has long promoted himself as a politician uniquely gifted at managing relations with the country, in particular Mr Trump, who has enjoyed significant support in Israel.
Downplaying the relationship with Mr Trump would deprive Mr Netanyahu, who is facing major anger in Israel over the US-Iran deal, of a key, long-tested tactic before elections taking place in October. Mr Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister, having first taken office in 1996.
Pollster Dahlia Scheindlin told The National that a rift with Mr Trump could erode Mr Netanyahu's "only truly positive message" in election campaigns.
"His big personal persona was that he was Israel’s best statesman and that he is savvy in dealing with global leaders, especially in the US," she added.
"The rest of his main campaign messages are very much based on negative campaigning".
Mr Trump took unprecedented pro-Israel decisions during his first term, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He also took significant military action against Iran by assassinating senior commander Qassem Suleimani.
US military action taken against Iran during the President’s second term has also been extremely popular. Mr Trump was also widely credited for a hostage deal to bring home the Israeli captives held during the Gaza war.
Despite closely working together in the recent Iran campaign, Mr Trump criticised Israel in unprecedented terms on Tuesday, saying that its had been fighting Hezbollah for “too long and too many people are being killed”.
“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you,” he added.
On Tuesday, i24 News also reported that Israel was denied access to see the text of the US-Iran preliminary agreement, despite a formal request. Journalist Guy Azriel described the development as “remarkable and highly unusual”.
The report came despite Mr Netanyahu earlier in the week lauding Israel’s “historic co-operation with President Trump and the American military”, in his only address to Israelis since the deal was announced, which he gave on Monday.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a staunch Israel supporter throughout his career as a pastor, also sought to ease some of the worst fears about the pact among Israelis, in particular that it requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.
“Fortunately, he [US Secretary of State Marco Rubio] made clear that Iran and Hezbollah aren’t linked in a deal. Israel doesn’t need [Iranian] permission to defend itself. The tether of terror must end,” he posted on X on Tuesday.
