No Servant of Two Masters: Israel’s Sovereignty Crisis |
When the authority to end war no longer resides in Jerusalem
For years, Benjamin Netanyahu cultivated the image of a leader uniquely capable of managing Israel’s relationship with the United States. His supporters portrayed this relationship not merely as diplomacy, but as a strategic asset inseparable from his own political leadership. The close identification between Netanyahu and Donald Trump gradually evolved into something deeper than ordinary alliance politics: a model of governance increasingly dependent upon external political patronage. Yet the recent revelations concerning the negotiations that produced the ceasefire with Iran expose the fragility — and perhaps the illusion — underlying this entire structure.
According to “Once Trump’s Co-Pilot Against Iran, Netanyahu Is Now a Mere Passenger,” published in The New York Times, Israeli officials were effectively excluded from the negotiations that shaped the ceasefire framework with Iran.¹ Even more strikingly, Israeli decision-makers reportedly learned about aspects of the evolving talks not through direct participation with their principal ally, but through regional diplomatic contacts and intelligence channels operating within Iran itself. Members of Trump’s inner circle allegedly viewed broader Israeli ambitions regarding regime change in Iran as unrealistic from the outset, and American priorities shifted decisively once instability surrounding the Strait of Hormuz threatened oil markets and broader economic stability.¹
If accurate, these reports reveal far more than a........