Netanyahu’s Waning Power: Washington Will No Longer Fight on His Terms

By Elijah J. Magnier –

Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Washington expecting to revive the image that has sustained much of his political career: that no Israeli leader understands the United States better than he does, and that no American president, Republican or Democrat, can resist his pressure. Instead, he received less than ninety minutes behind closed doors, without a joint press conference, without a public presidential endorsement and without any announced American concession.

The visit was made possible largely because Netanyahu was already in Washington to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Israel’s most unwavering supporters in Congress. The White House described the encounter as “positive and productive”, while Netanyahu called it “one of the best meetings” he had ever held with Donald Trump. Yet neither side produced a substantive account of what had been agreed, and Netanyahu left without the political spectacle he needed.

The contrast between Netanyahu’s description and the visible evidence was striking. A genuinely successful meeting would normally have offered him photographs beside Trump, public declarations of strategic unity and an opportunity to demonstrate to Israeli voters that he remained indispensable in Washington. Instead, the discussions were closed to the press and conducted in the presence of Vice-President J. D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.