Trump war wütend auf Netanyahu – und beide wollten, dass Sie es wissen

The latest truce between [**Israel**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/israel?ico=in-line_link) and [**Lebanon**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/lebanon?ico=in-line_link), announced overnight Wednesday, came after [**Donald Trump**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donald-trump?ico=in-line_link) blew up at Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him he was “f**king crazy” for continuing his war there.

The details of that call were leaked in what fans of professional wrestling – which Trump loves to watch – might instantly recognise as kayfabe, the term used to describe how a staged fight is presented as real. Importantly, wrestlers draw on real-life disagreements and genuine anger to fuel the performance. Trump was genuinely angry with [**Netanyahu**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/benjamin-netanyahu?ico=in-line_link). It also suited both men to have that fact known.

The limited ceasefire, which is contingent on “a complete cessation” of attacks by the Iran-backed militant group [**Hezbollah**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/hezbollah?ico=in-line_link), is another step in a series of carefully choreographed moves that Trump hopes will lead to a peace deal between the US and [**Iran**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/iran?ico=in-line_link).

Trump called Netanyahu on Monday to complain that his plans to bomb the Lebanese capital, Beirut, would destroy any chance of that deal. Tehran had threatened to pull out of negotiations in protest at Israel’s continued offensive against Hezbollah. “Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Trump was quoted as saying. “What the f**k are you doing?”

*Axios* broke the story of the Trump-Netanyahu call. Trump himself confirmed what happened – in broad strokes, if not in all the expletive-riddled detail. *Axios* said Trump spoke about civilian casualties in Lebanon, where more than 3,400 people have been killed and 1.2 million people displaced. He reportedly objected to the Israelis destroying whole tower blocks to take out a single Hezbollah commander.

This concern might be real, or it could be Trump’s frustration in getting to a peace deal with Iran. After all, the US went along with exactly the same tactics in [**Gaza**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/gaza?ico=in-line_link), where the Israeli magazine *+972* reported that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) would kill up to 100 civilians to target a single high-ranking Hamas official. The IDF denied this.

Giving his account of the conversation, Trump said he had complained about Netanyahu “constantly fighting” with Lebanon. *Axios* said that Trump also reminded Netanyahu of his long-running corruption trial. “You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass.”

Netanyahu has regularly traded on his close working relationship with Trump – he has visited the Oval Office at least half a dozen times so far in Trump’s second term. But he also has a history of angering US presidents: it’s almost his political brand.

[**Bill Clinton**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/bill-clinton?ico=in-line_link) asked after meeting him for the first time: “Who the f**k does he think he is? Who’s the f**king superpower here?”

Pausing the offensive in Lebanon at America’s request might have been politically impossible for Netanyahu without a very public row. He needs to show he is standing up for Israel in order to keep the right-wing politicians in his coalition happy.

Trump, similarly, needs his [**Maga**](https://inews.co.uk/topic/maga?ico=in-line_link) base – who voted for him partly to keep the US out of foreign wars – to know he is not being led by the nose into continuing the fight with Iran.

Yep this tracks with what has historically happened. They leak to the reporters that the US is angry at Israel but nothing really comes of it.

Here is Biden pulling the same shenanigans during his term: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/12/politics/biden-netanyahu-israel-gaza

That’s the problem…they’re both playing for optics. Makes it all rather meaningless

Having worked in a geopolitics related job, I have posted on here in the past about the news often not reflecting what is actually going on behind the scenes. It is very common. So this news group finally noticed it, probably because it has to do with Israel. This stuff goes on all the time even between allies. Why? Leader’s in democracies need political public support for things they want to do, for example things like increasing defense spending. How do you get that political public support as an elected leader? Scare the people or otherwise manipulate their views on things in the way you need and the support happens. What is reported in the news as „disputes“ between allies can often be an agreed upon political effort by all sides involved.

People are easily manipulated and news organizations make no effort to report what is actually going on. The news orgs happily go with whatever is „fed“ to them typically. This is a rare instance of actually reporting this stuff. Given Israel is involved they finally found the „motivation“ to do this.