Maariv: Is Trump still Netanyahu’s best friend?
According to the Zionist newspaper Ma’ariv, in an analysis titled “Is Trump Still Netanyahu’s Best Friend?” Netanyahu’s trip to the United States to meet and talk with Trump on Monday will take place amid rising tensions; in this situation, Netanyahu wants a tougher stance, while Trump wants restraint and negotiations.
According to a Sunday report by IRNA, citing the Zionist newspaper Ma’ariv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with US President Donald Trump in Florida tomorrow (Monday). Three months ago, Netanyahu called Trump “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” and yet their current meeting is accompanied by growing disagreements on most Middle East issues.
The newspaper further added that Dan Dicker, head of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), described the meeting as an emergency meeting aimed at bringing clarity between the two sides.
Ma’ariv continued: Gaza is expected to be the main and controversial topic of conversation between Trump and Netanyahu. According to Israeli sources, Netanyahu hopes to convince Trump to take a tougher stance on Gaza and demand that Hamas disarm before the withdrawal of most Israeli forces as part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
According to the Hebrew-language newspaper, the implementation of Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in Gaza has encountered difficulties because key components of the second phase, including the Peace Monitoring Council, a committee of Palestinian technocrats, and an international stabilization force, have not yet been established. The Zionist regime has also expressed opposition to the possibility of Turkey participating in the stabilization force in Gaza.
According to the newspaper, Tel Aviv’s tensions with Washington increased after Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that Israel would build settlements in the Gaza Strip and would not completely withdraw from it. The remarks were met with a backlash from US officials. Trump also told reporters in response to Israel’s assassination of senior Hamas figure Raed Saad on December 13 that the US was looking into whether his assassination was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Ma’ariv continued: “On the issue of Iran, Netanyahu is seeking a green light for another strike against the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program, perhaps as part of a joint operation with the United States.” The Israeli prime minister’s office even released an artificial intelligence-generated video showing Netanyahu and Trump in a B-2 stealth bomber.
The newspaper continued: “However, President Trump, who called for an end to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June and declared that Iran’s nuclear program had been ‘destroyed’ by US bombers, is eager to conclude efforts to negotiate with Tehran.” Morgan Ortagus, Trump’s deputy special envoy for the Middle East, also told the Security Council that Washington was ready for formal talks.
The Israeli source added that there are other areas of disagreement between Netanyahu and Trump. In Syria, the Trump administration has warned Israel not to undermine Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate control over the country. In Lebanon, a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France has frayed in the face of continued Israeli bombing and demands for Hezbollah to disarm.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also said in an October interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that the US president feels the Israelis are “a little out of control” and must be stopped from taking actions that are not in their long-term interests.
Daniel Shapiro, a former US ambassador to the occupied Palestinian territories, noted that there is a possibility of serious disagreements between Netanyahu and Trump over Gaza. For Netanyahu, the trip is of great importance as a show of strength to win the 2026 Israeli elections, which have complicated the situation politically.