Trump seeks victory; Netanyahu seeks political survival, says professor

The unease between American President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gained more defined contours after Trump himself confirmed, in an interview with The New York Post, tensions with the Israeli leader. According to an analysis by Geopolitics professor Fernando Brancoli to WW, the two leaders pursue different objectives in the context of the conflict with Iran.

Brancoli points out that the topic dominated public debate in the United States over the weekend.

Although some voices raised the hypothesis that the disagreement was just a "game of scene", the confirmation of the dialogue between the two leaders ruled out this interpretation.

"The confirmation is that this type of debate really happened", highlighted the expert.

Different objectives
According to Brancoli, there is a perception, both on the part of Trump and his national security circle, that Netanyahu, at certain times, acts on his own, bypassing agreements established with the United States.

For the expert, Trump seeks, very explicitly, "to find a victory, or at least a possibility of declaring a victory, or at least an appeasement of the conflicts at this moment".

Netanyahu, according to Brancoli, faces a position internally in Israel that is far from comfortable.

The Israeli leader is afraid that, in a moment of calm, Israel will once again focus energy and attention on corruption accusations against him.

In light of this, Netanyahu would intend to continue using the inertia of the conflict to advance his political objectives, especially with regard to southern Lebanon.

Relations should still continue
Despite the tension, Brancoli assesses that there is no prospect of an effective break between the two leaders.

"Trump has already shown signs that he can be rude, he can criticize, but at a certain point he could backtrack", said the expert.

"I don't think there will actually be an end to relations with Netanyahu. I think relations will continue despite this fight."

At another point in the analysis, Brancoli mentioned a movement in the American Congress.

Democrats have been seeking for at least six months to impose a requirement that Trump go through Congress before using military force.

A measure in this regard was approved in the Chamber of Deputies, but still needs to pass through the Senate, where the path tends to be more difficult.

For the expert, this is, for now, "much more of a symbolic message than actually the possibility of a major change" in the coming weeks.

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Source: CNN