Netanyahu Weighs Public Confrontation with Trump over Gaza and Lebanon

WASHINGTON, August 19. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a public confrontation with US President Donald Trump over Gaza and Lebanon, as he believes Washington’s conditions run counter to Israel’s interests, Al-Monitor reported, citing sources close to the prime minister. "Netanyahu is on the edge. He is trying to decide whether to go head-to-head with the US administration on Gaza and Lebanon. He knows the costs, but the current situation is not much better," one of the news portal’s sources said. According to the sources, Trump has shifted to issuing ultimatums in his talks with Netanyahu that give little consideration to Israel’s interests. The personal relationship between the two leaders has also deteriorated significantly in recent months. Ahead of Israel’s parliamentary elections, Netanyahu believes that publicly confronting Trump and strongly defending Israel’s national security interests before Washington could boost support for his Likud party. "Netanyahu is said to be nearing the conclusion that confronting Trump before the elections would be better than boasting of a strong friendship with the president, which is no longer the case," another Al-Monitor source said. Netanyahu’s latest meeting with Trump’s son-in-law and informal representative Jared Kushner resulted in a compromise. The prime minister maintained that Israeli troops cannot leave Gaza until Hamas begins disarming. "Trump needs to preserve his achievement in stopping the Israel-Hamas war, at least until the midterms. Netanyahu needs Hamas’ disarmament as a condition for an Israeli withdrawal, at least until the [Knesset] elections. Both sides have succeeded in moving on, until the next crisis," one of the news portal’s sources said.