Maariv columnist Ben Caspit Archives - ... on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024 [MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

Israeli analysts sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, describing him as a “failure” and a “liar,” while noting that US President Donald Trump “humiliated” him by excluding him from an agreement with Iran to end their military conflict, Anadolu reports.

On Monday evening, Netanyahu acknowledged that he was unaware of the details of the memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran to end the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28.

Netanyahu claimed he had saved Israelis from “nuclear annihilation” by launching the war against Iran and acknowledged differences of opinion with Trump, saying such disagreements “exist in the best of families.”

While Trump said Monday that the US and Iran had already signed the agreement and that the Strait of Hormuz “will be fully reopened by Friday,” Tehran has said only that the memorandum is scheduled to be signed in Swtizerland on June 19.

Observers say the prior electronic signing of the deal appears to have enabled an immediate temporary ceasefire and the lifting of a US naval blockade on Iran, while the Friday ceremony is expected to formalize the agreement and launch a 60-day period of technical negotiations.

‘Architect of failure’

Haaretz columnist Yossi Verter launched a scathing attack on Netanyahu in an article headlined: “Without shame, the architect of failure claimed he saved Israel from collective death. It was another lie among many.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands at the height of what any objective expert would define as a colossal strategic failure for the State of Israel and all he has to tell its citizens is: ‘Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, not as long as I am prime minister’,” he wrote.

Netanyahu “has been saying that for 30 years. Yet in the same breath, at his press conference on Monday, Netanyahu claimed Israel had been a hair’s breadth away from ‘mass death’ – a catastrophe he supposedly prevented,” he added.

Tel Aviv and Washington accuse Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons that threaten Israel and US allies in the region. Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful, says it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and insists it poses no threat to other states.

READ: Switzerland confirms US-Iran memorandum signing set for Friday at Burgenstock

Israel, which occupies Palestinian territory as well as land in Lebanon and Syria, is widely believed to be the only country in the Middle East with a nuclear arsenal, although it has never officially acknowledged possessing one and is not subject to safeguards by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Verter said previous boasts by Netanyahu about “historic achievements for generations” and claims that Iran’s nuclear project had been pushed back by decades “seemed to have dissolved into the sour fog that has descended on Israel.”

“Gone, too, are the lofty goals that accompanied every confrontation with Iran: toppling the regime, or at least creating the conditions for its downfall; eliminating the nuclear and ballistic threats; severing Tehran’s ties to its proxy organizations,” he added.

Netanyahu “has no idea what is contained in the memorandum of understanding the US and Iran digitally signed behind his back. The Iranians know. The Pakistanis know. Presumably the Qataris know. Netanyahu, it seems, does not,” the columnist said.

He added that Netanyahu “sought to minimize the crisis in his relationship with Trump, whom he notably refrained from showering with his usual praise,” saying “True. But in the best families, disagreements are not usually accompanied by the daily insults, humiliations and public snubs coming from an increasingly impatient American president.”

Verter further accused Netanyahu of making a mix of half-truths, exaggerations and manipulations that dominated the event like “we destroyed the Iranian navy.”

He also challenged Netanyahu’s assertion that Israel prevented Hezbollah’s Radwan Force from invading Israel, calling it “an utter lie.”

Verter said Netanyahu claimed that the Israeli and American air forces inflicted cumulative damage on Iran worth “hundreds of billions of dollars – some estimate a trillion.”

He concluded that Netanyahu’s press conference “projected defeat,” adding that even when he declared that he would “run and win” Israel’s next election, he sounded somewhat skeptical himself.

‘His show is over’

Maariv columnist Ben Caspit wrote an article titled: “Netanyahu’s show is over: Trump threw him under the bus.”

Caspit questioned Netanyahu’s repeated warnings that Israel had “escaped certain death”, asking who had placed the country in such a position in the first place.

He argued that invoking the threat of “annihilation” was intended to obscure responsibility for Israel’s failures regarding Iran.

“Once again, Israel was left outside the picture,” he added.

Netanyahu has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 over accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 73,000 people and injured over 173,000 others since October 2023.

Caspit noted that Netanyahu did not mention Trump by name during his press conference, even during the question-and-answer session.

“He also admitted he knew nothing about the agreement that was signed electronically without his knowledge,” Caspit wrote. “It is reminiscent of another agreement signed in 2015.”

“Netanyahu always ends up in the same position,” he continued. “He is pushed aside, thrown under the bus, and left standing in the hallway like a scolded child waiting for a verdict that was delivered in his absence.”

Questioning Netanyahu’s claims of success, Caspit wrote: “Yesterday he boasted that ‘we inflicted severe damage on Iran’s economy.’ Fine—but so what? They could soon become an even greater economic power than before.”

He added that Iran could ultimately “impose fees on transit through the Strait of Hormuz,” while sanctions may be lifted and hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen assets released.

“So what value is the damage we inflicted if it can be repaired so quickly?” Caspit asked.

“Without shame, the architect of failure claimed he had saved Israel from annihilation. That was just another lie among many.”

READ: US-Iran deal may be seen as ‘betrayal’ in Israel, ex-premier Olmert says

‘Greatest humiliation’

In a separate analysis published by Walla news portal, commentator Barak Seri argued that Netanyahu’s sense of triumph “turned within a single day into his greatest concern and greatest humiliation.”

Seri noted that Netanyahu had not addressed the Israeli media since March despite the wars involving Iran and Hezbollah and missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage in Israel, choosing instead to speak almost exclusively to foreign outlets, particularly American media.

“But last night he decided to speak,” Seri wrote. “The reason was the dismal outcome of the agreement with Iran and the bitter sense of anxiety prevailing in Israel, including among his own supporters.”

He added that senior Israeli officials viewed the deal as “bad and dangerous for Israel,” describing it as “a real disaster” that was reached without Israel’s interests being taken into account.

Seri argued that “none of the war’s objectives were achieved” — not eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat, not removing the ballistic missile threat, not creating conditions for regime change, and not addressing Tehran’s continued support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Mocking one of the outcomes touted by supporters of the US-Iran agreement, he wrote: “The Strait of Hormuz has been opened. What a great achievement — it was open before the war.”

“Trump’s harsh and humiliating reversal against Netanyahu and Israel, accompanied by reports of difficult conversations, insults and threats, quickly leaked to the media,” Seri said. “Trump subjected Netanyahu to a genuine public humiliation.”

The US is a main ally to Israel and generally provides Tel Aviv with military, financial and political support.

Israel has occupied Palestinian territory and areas in Lebanon and Syria for decades and rejects withdrawal from those territories as well as the establishment of an independent Palestinian state envisioned in relevant UN resolutions.

BLOG: The international community is fast losing its diplomatic relevance

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Israeli analysts call Netanyahu ‘liar,’ ‘humiliated’ by Trump after US-Iran deal