How Benjamin Netanyahu projects power and influences US-Israel relations - opinion
This renewed agreement on policy for Israel and Gaza does not represent the strength of America but rather Benjamin Netanyahu’s influence, which spans from presidents Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump.
US President Donald Trump meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, DC.(photo credit: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS)ByBONNIE K. GOODMANOn Inauguration Day 2025, Israelis clamored, lining up and down the street for a Friends of Zion event in Jerusalem, celebrating Donald Trump’s second-term swearing-in. The same red carpet welcome was given by Trump and the Republicans in control of Washington as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the newly returned-to-power president. Netanyahu’s presence in American politics is significant, and his latest visit underscores his enduring role.
Netanyahu often confronts, angers, and teases American presidents with his tactics. On February 4, 2025, Netanyahu met Trump at the White House, reinforcing Israel’s rising global influence as Trump distanced the US from traditional allies. This time, an American president extended a warm welcome to the Israeli prime minister, strengthening his standing in Israel and on the global stage. Netanyahu was the first world leader Trump met with after his inauguration. The meeting with the Republican-controlled government was going so well for Netanyahu that he extended his trip.
Inside jokes and praise characterized Netanyahu and Trump’s White House meeting, contrasting with the chilly winter weather. Netanyahu gifted Trump a golden pager, alluding to the September attacks in Lebanon, while Trump gave Netanyahu a photo of the two leaders. Netanyahu said he was “honored… to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in your second term. This is a testament to your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people.” Netanyahu gushed, “You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” He used the term “daylight” to describe the difference between his relationship with Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, and Trump. Netanyahu’s relationship with Biden stands out among Democratic presidents. However, his relationship with Trump has not always been convivial.
This renewed agreement on policy for Israel and Gaza does not represent the strength of America but rather Netanyahu’s influence, which spans from presidents Ronald Reagan to Trump. Typically, the US exerts its power over Israel in reverse. This moment highlights Netanyahu’s continued political strength and influence in American-Israeli relations. Unlike other Israeli leaders, Netanyahu balances admiration for the US with a demand for Israel’s independence and respect. His American upbringing shaped his political views and alignment with Republicans.
At the same time, his story spans almost the entirety of Israel’s modern statehood history. Anshel Pfeffer, in his biography Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu, pointed out: “Netanyahu belongs to both Israels – its old ‘serving elite’ and the seething underdogs. He is also a product of the United States, where he spent much of his early life and career. He believes that he understands and connects with America better than some American presidents and, when necessary, challenges them on their own turf.”
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-US president Joe Biden in the Oval Office. (credit: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)Netanyahu “fervently believes that Israel shares in the exceptional destiny of the United States – that together they are the world’s indispensable nations. He sees an even greater bond between the two countries than what Winston Churchill described as “the special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain.
Viewing Israel as equal to the US and his general disdain for Democrats have motivated Netanyahu’s approach to his American counterparts, giving him the courage to strike if it serves Israel’s best interests. Netanyahu’s interactions with American presidents often lead to extensive media coverage, reflecting the complexity of these relationships. Even with the presidents most personally connected to Israel, such as Bill Clinton, Biden, and Trump, there have been contentions, while his disagreements with Barack Obama were legendary in words, actions, and images. Netanyahu has provoked the most colorful language from some of the American presidents, such as Democrats Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Israel’s closest ally, Republican Trump.
In August 2019, President Trump gave himself the crown as “history’s most pro-Israel US president.” Trump continually blamed “radical” Democrats for ruining “the special relationship between the US and Israel.” During his election campaigns, he accused American Jews, saying, “If you vote for a Democrat, you are very, very disloyal to Israel and to the Jewish people.”
During his first term, Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moved the US Embassy there (from Tel Aviv), acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, cut aid to the Palestinians, and negotiated the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
Despite their strong alliance, Trump felt betrayed when Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his election in 2020. Trump recalled in an interview, “The first person that congratulated [Biden] was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with… Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake,” Trump told Axios journalist Barak Ravid. “I haven’t spoken to him since.”
Since his first term in 1996, Netanyahu has challenged US presidents, famously provoking Bill Clinton to exclaim, ‘Who’s the f---ing superpower here?’ US diplomat Aaron David Miller later recalled the incident in his memoir The Much Too Promised Land. That was exactly Netanyahu’s point. Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton worked to ensure that Netanyahu would lose his next election by manipulating who they would collaborate with on a peace agreement. This strategy shaped Netanyahu’s approach to interacting with American leaders upon his reelection in 2009.
Netanyahu’s power struggle with Obama was more intense, straining US-Israel relations. Their clash began over Obama’s insistence on the Iran nuclear deal and a two-state solution. Netanyahu’s intimidation method of choice is lecturing. During his May 2011 meeting with Obama, Netanyahu spent six and a half minutes lecturing him about the peace process. His team was “comfortable” with his approach, believing it necessary.
In November 2011, Obama created a controversial incident in a hot mic moment when then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy called Netanyahu a liar. Obama replied, “You’re tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day.” Their tensions culminated in March 2015 when Netanyahu addressed Congress against the Iran nuclear deal without White House approval.
Netanyahu has had the longest relationship with Joe Biden, whom he has known since Biden was a junior senator during Ronald Reagan’s administration in the 1980s. However, their relationship deteriorated during Biden’s vice presidency, especially after Netanyahu’s government announced new West Bank settlements during Biden’s official visit in 2010. Toward the end of his vice presidential term, Biden wrote on a photo of the two leaders, “Bibi, I love you. I don’t agree with a damn thing you say,” which Netanyahu keeps on his desk.
Netanyahu’s support for Trump further strained his ties with Biden as president, delaying their diplomatic engagement. By March 2024, with the ongoing war in Gaza after the October 7 attacks, Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu had reached a critical point. Biden publicly stated that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” and, in private, called Netanyahu an “A-hole.” Biden demonstrated his toughness by allowing two UN Security Council resolutions to pass and by withholding armaments for the war.
Still, Netanyahu praised Biden in their July 2024 meeting after Biden dropped out of the presidential race, thanking him for “50 years of public service and support for Israel.” However, Netanyahu supported Trump over Biden’s successor, Kamala Harris, in the election and quickly congratulated Trump on X, calling his victory “history’s greatest comeback.”
This time, Netanyahu is using a strength-through-peace attitude with Trump, making it clear that Israel is America’s equal. Netanyahu’s strategic positioning strengthens his US support while addressing critics in Israel. Trump’s exit won’t deter Netanyahu, who is already positioning himself for Israel’s next election. Netanyahu continues to assert his influence, shaping the discourse around US-Israel relations.
As scholar Walter Russell-Mead concludes, “One thing seems clear. Win, lose, or draw, Bibi Netanyahu is leaving deep footprints in the sands of time…He will occupy an outsize place not only in the history of Israel and the modern Middle East but also in the history of the Jewish people.” On the political stage, it’s Netanyahu’s world, and we are all living in it.■
Bonnie K. Goodman is a historian, librarian, journalist, and artist.
