Skip to main content
Job vacancy with the National Education Union
Is the Trump-Netanyahu ‘unthinkable’ about to erupt over Iran?
Once able to defy a US president before Congress, Netanyahu now finds himself weakened by military setbacks and facing a populist Trump who may yet put ‘America first’ instead of Israel, writes RAMZY BAROUD
US President Donald Trump (right) shakes the hand of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House, April 7, 2025

ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington was no ordinary trip. The consensus among Israeli analysts, barring a few remaining loyalists, is that Netanyahu was not invited but, rather, summoned by US President Donald Trump.

All evidence supports this assertion. Netanyahu rarely travels to the US without extensive Israeli media fanfare, leveraging his touted relationships with various US administrations as a “hasbara” opportunity to reinforce his image as Israel’s strongman.

This time, there was no room for such campaigns. Netanyahu was informed of Trump’s summons while on an official trip to Hungary. There, he was received by Hungarian President Viktor Orban with exaggerated diplomatic accolades, signalling defiance against international condemnation of Netanyahu, an accused war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), and portraying him as anything but an isolated leader of an increasingly pariah state.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
RESPECT EARNED: Palestinian activists hang the flags of Spain and Norway in the West Bank city of Ramallah, in recognition of their diplomatic efforts for Palestine, September 16 2025
Features / 19 September 2025
19 September 2025

Spain has joined South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel while imposing weapons bans and port restrictions, moves partly driven by trade unions — proving just how effectively civil society can reshape government policy, writes RAMZY BAROUD

People gather to show support for the Global Sumud Flotilla ahead of its scheduled departure to deliver aid to Gaza amidst Israel's blockade on the Palestinian territory, in Sidi Bou Said port in Tunis, Tunisia, September 10, 2025
Features / 12 September 2025
12 September 2025

Ben-Gvir’s threat to treat the flotilla as terrorists shows how seriously Israel takes the danger of growing solidarity activism from civil society to its standing on the international stage, writes RAMZY BAROUD

Demonstrators, from left, hold placards that read 'On the red carpet lets sow peace' and 'Free Palestine, peace has no borders' during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, during the Film Festival in Venice, Italy, August 30, 2025
Features / 2 September 2025
2 September 2025

Mass mobilisations are forcing governments to seriously consider imposing sanctions and severing ties — even in places like Australia and the Netherlands — despite continued arms shipments to Israel’s war machine, writes RAMZY BAROUD

Palestinian and Israeli activists take part in a protest against the killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip as they gather in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, August 15, 2025
Features / 19 August 2025
19 August 2025

With foreign media banned from Gaza, Palestinians themselves have reversed most of zionism’s century-long propaganda gains in just two years — this is why Israel has killed 270 journalists since October 2023, explains RAMZY BAROUD

Similar stories
BREAKING POINT: Israelis take part in a protest against Prim
Features / 10 April 2025
10 April 2025
Netanyahu’s failed attempt to replace Shin Bet’s chief violates longstanding Israeli political taboos, as the apartheid state’s internal power struggle spirals to a new level of crisis while Gaza burns, writes RAMZY BAROUD
Buildings destroyed during the Israeli air and ground offens
Features / 4 March 2025
4 March 2025
Israel’s crimes in Gaza have forced a reckoning with international law’s selective application as Western nations sanction ICC prosecutors and attack UN officials who demand accountability, writes RAMZY BAROUD
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ne
Features / 21 January 2025
21 January 2025
Unlike previous military campaigns in Gaza, there is no significant strand of Israeli society claiming victory, and a political crisis long-brewing has now reached crisis point, argues RAMZY BAROUD
Features / 6 January 2025
6 January 2025
The Israeli PM has won political favour by repeatedly playing the victim card – but when the war on Gaza ends this kind of manoeuvring will no longer suffice in order to maintain his coalition, says RAMZY BAROUD