Trump ‘Pretty Sure’ There Will Be a Gaza Deal, Denies Telling PM to Not Be ‘F*cking Negative’

Trump ‘Pretty Sure’ There Will Be a Gaza Deal, Denies Telling PM to Not Be ‘F*cking Negative’

 

US President Donald Trump on Monday denied that he recently told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop being so “f*cking negative” and “take the win” after Hamas accepted parts of Washington’s proposal for ending the Gaza war, while saying that it would have to hold talks regarding other portions of the plan.

“No, it’s not true. He’s been very positive on the deal,” Trump said of Netanyahu. Trump at times has avoided criticizing Netanyahu in public, even as reports have mounted about his private frustration with the Israeli premier, including during a tense phone call last week in which the Axios news site reported the US president responded angrily when Netanyahu said Hamas’s ambivalent response was “nothing to celebrate.”

Asked whether he has any red lines for Hamas in the fresh round of negotiations that kicked off Monday in Egypt, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he does.

“If certain things aren’t met, we’re not going to do it,” he said.
— The Times of Israel

Our Take: “No, it’s not true. He’s been very positive on the deal,” Trump said of Netanyahu.

Haha!

This is the same playbook Trump has been running against Netanyahu for a while now. The Axios story was reported by journalists (Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo) who have faithfully reported on the Trump admin. Betraying that relationship by making up stories would only negatively impact their access to the administration.

If the original story is “fake” — and I doubt it is — it was made up by Trump’s own officials. In either case, we can extract the deeper meaning from the situation to be that Trump is twisting the knife on Netanyahu, damaging his reputation and political clout, while maintaining positive public optics in regards to their relationship. The optics of a positive relationship are necessary in order to keep Israel’s rabid dogs off of him for a bit longer. (We all see what they are doing to those criticizing Israel — Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson.)

I suspect Trump is going to continue to prop up the Netanyahu regime, while undermining him behind closed doors, which keeps Bibi boxed in by limiting his moves. He can’t cry foul and correct the record — disclosing to the public that Trump really did flippantly disrespect him on that phone call — without further damaging himself and risk ending US support for his regime. The truth is that he needs Trump’s public support in order to continue clinging to power, and the moment he loses grip on that power he is going to be prosecuted for multiple felonies (and potentially war crimes) and likely will go to prison.

So yes, everyone: Netanyahu is definitely positive about the deal. Right, Bibi? Right??? (Checkmate.) — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry