Opinion | A Snub, A Cancelled Visit: Why Trump Doesn't Even Want To See Netanyahu Anymore

Updated: Jul 22, 2026 16:36 pm IST Published On Jul 22, 2026 16:35 pm IST Last Updated On Jul 22, 2026 16:36 pm IST

Published On Jul 22, 2026 16:35 pm IST

Last Updated On Jul 22, 2026 16:36 pm IST

It was just over five months ago that President Trump invited Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the White House's Situation Room, a rare honour for a foreign leader. The highly classified event, attended by the top security teams of both countries, was arranged at Netanyahu's request to persuade Trump to launch a joint military operation against Iran. The Israeli leader managed to convince the President that this was an opportunity for the US to secure a quick victory, similar to the one it achieved in Venezuela a month earlier. But that proved to be not only a major miscalculation but also the worst foreign policy decision by a US president in decades.

Trump is now so annoyed with Netanyahu that he doesn't even want to meet him. After failing to get an appointment with the President, the Israeli leader had to cancel his planned Monday visit to Washington. In recent weeks, Trump has humiliated Netanyahu by calling him 'crazy' and using expletives during phone calls. Last month, he told the Financial Times, "I call all the shots." Referring to Netanyahu, he added, "he doesn't call the shots". It is a remarkable fall from grace and power for the veteran Israeli leader, who, for over three decades, openly confronted and sometimes even lectured US presidents, without jeopardising his position or damaging Israel's special relationship with the United States. But that has now changed.

For the first time since the State of Israel's establishment in 1948, the US political consensus in Israel's favour is under the most serious strain, largely due to Netanyahu's actions. Last week, more than 100 Democratic members of the House of Representatives (about half of their strength) voted to end $3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel. Although the proposal was defeated, prominent Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts (the minority whip), and Ro Khanna, backed it. Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II, receiving over $300 billion between 1946 and 2025. The proposal to cut aid was intended as a protest against the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Israel can't survive without military and economic aid from the United States.

A week earlier, Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff in the Obama White House and a........

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