🇮🇱🇺🇸 NETANYAHU FLIES TO MAR-A-LAGO MONDAY – HIS ENTIRE STRATEGY DEPENDS ON TRUMP IGNORING EVERYONE WHO WORKS FOR HIM
Netanyahu’s on a plane to Florida. Fifth U.S. meeting with Trump this year. Agenda: Gaza ceasefire phase 2, Iran/Hezbollah threats.
But here’s the actual meeting: Netanyahu betting Trump will override his entire team’s position because personal chemistry beats institutional consensus.
Barak Ravid (Axios) just confirmed what we already knew: “All members of Trump’s inner circle are tired of Netanyahu, except Trump himself.”
That’s not hyperbole. That’s J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and the entire foreign policy apparatus united in frustration – while Netanyahu flies in confident he can flip the one person who matters.
What Trump’s team wants:
Advance to Phase 2 of ceasefire (Hamas disarmament, international stabilization force, full Israeli withdrawal)
Technocratic Palestinian government
Actual implementation of the October deal Netanyahu signed
What Netanyahu wants:
Stall Phase 2 indefinitely
Maintain military presence
Avoid commitments that limit operations
Keep fighting until Hamas is “eliminated” (undefined timeline)
Monday’s meeting decides who wins that argument.
Netanyahu’s not traveling with journalists. That’s telling. He wants zero public record of what gets discussed.
No Israeli media documenting concessions. Just him and Trump, one-on-one, personal relationship against institutional pressure.
Trump’s own words from October when he visited Jerusalem:
“Israel, with our help, has won everything achievable by force of arms. Now is the time to transform these victories against terrorists into peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”
That was 2 months ago. Netanyahu heard it, nodded, then continued exactly as before. Strikes during ceasefire. Killed Hamas commanders.
Attacked Palestinian civilians. Refused to open Rafah crossing. Slow-walked every implementation step.
Now Trump’s team is telling him: Netanyahu played you. He signed the deal, took credit, then sabotaged implementation.
Netanyahu’s counter-pitch: Iran’s the real threat. Hamas isn’t defeated. Give me more time. Trust me over your advisors.
The bet:
If Netanyahu walks out Monday having convinced Trump, he just proved a foreign leader can manipulate U.S. foreign policy by cultivating the president personally while ignoring the entire national security apparatus.
Every future negotiation becomes: skip the bureaucracy, get to Trump, use personal rapport to override institutional analysis.
If Trump sides with his team, Netanyahu goes home empty and has to actually implement what he signed in October.
This is mainly about whether Trump governs through his advisors or through personal relationships with foreign leaders who’ve figured out how to work him.
Netanyahu’s the test case. Monday we find out if the strategy works.
Source: EFE, El Debate