Who is really calling the shots: Trump or Netanyahu?

Statement by AMP Executive Director, Dr. Osama Abu Irshaid:

War criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide, is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump at the White House tomorrow. Netanyahu has made little effort to conceal the true purpose of his visit: to reignite the disastrous war with Iran.

The visit comes just days after reports revealed that Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), along with other senior advisers to President Trump, persuaded him to suspend U.S. airstrikes against Iran on July 25.

As Axios noted, “It was an acknowledgment by both military and civilian advisers to the president that there are limits to what can be accomplished through military action, and specifically an air power campaign.”

That assessment is unlikely to satisfy Netanyahu, a man who has consistently favored military aggression. It is especially unwelcome at a moment when Israeli opinion polls indicate that his Likud party and its far‑right coalition are likely to lose the parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

Facing corruption and bribery charges in Israel, Netanyahu has not only held the world hostage to his political ambitions and personal survival; time and again—under the Biden administration and now—he has also managed to draw the United States into serving those same interests.

President Trump has an opportunity to demonstrate not only to Netanyahu, but also to the American people—and to himself—who is truly in charge. He must also act decisively to end Israel’s genocide and crimes in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria, where grave human rights violations continue under the shield of U.S. political backing. Will he allow Netanyahu to continue illegally occupying Lebanese territory? Or any chance at ending the war with Iran and halting his sliding approval numbers? Or will the President once again place the interests of the Israeli government above the American people?

The question before us is straightforward: Who is really calling the shots—Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu?