(Dobbs) Israel's Netanyahu Is Consistent. Consistently Bad, But Consistent.Donald Trump wavers from day to day, sometimes hour to hour.
In so many ways, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are cut from the same cloth. • They both will stop at nothing to punish their countries’ enemies when they see, or sometimes just surmise, that their nations’ security or, in the case of Israel, their very survival is at stake. • They both have been recklessly unrealistic about what they can achieve in the battles they bring against those enemies. • They both will project outcomes, with unshakable proclamations about the certainty of victory, when there is little to support their confidence. • They both fail to understand the never disproven dictum about war: the enemy also gets a vote. • They both suffer from egos that prevent either one from ever admitting they made a mistake. • They both will do whatever it takes, at whatever cost, to try to secure their own political futures, and now, for both of them, it is ever more imperative, with Israel’s elections coming up in October and the U.S.’s midterms the following month. But there is one big difference between the two uncompromising leaders. Donald Trump wavers on declarations he has delivered and decisions he has made from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. One moment he threatens Iran, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” the next moment— thank goodness— he calls it all off. In the Iran war it has become an almost predictable pattern: an inconsistent Trump backs down, Iran does not. Whereas Benjamin Netanyahu is consistent. Many argue that he is consistently bad, but he is consistent. His pronouncement yesterday that he rejects the latest 15-point proposal for Gaza from Trump’s “Board of Peace”— which Trump chairs— hammers it home. What Netanyahu said after a Cabinet meeting was, “The existence of Israel and the security of all Israeli citizens are not up for negotiation. We stand firm on these interests. Unlike all those who lecture us, we do what needs to be done for Israel’s security, and we can and know how to stand our ground, even against our best friends when necessary.” This latest began twelve days ago, when Trump posted what looked like good news on his website: “Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza. This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.” He ended with, “CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON THIS AMAZING DEVELOPMENT, THAT EVERYBODY SAID COULD NEVER BE ACHIEVED! DONALD J. TRUMP But as I wrote the next day, “Too many of Trump’s ‘agreements’ are no stronger than the paper they’re written on.” His major failing was, nothing had been achieved. Neither side had signed on. The plan called for a phased detente under which Hamas would disarm and Israel would withdraw from Gaza. But each said the other side would have to go first. Their steadfast positions still might be reconcilable but for the record, neither has a history of compromise. Then yesterday, Netanyahu made it official: “I want to be clear here: Israel is ruling out the 15-point document.” That would be Trump’s 15-point document. And to leave no doubt about where negotiations might lead, he announced, “As long as I am prime minister, a Palestinian state will not be established.” He is consistent. Consistently bad, but consistent. That includes his campaign to wipe out Hamas. On paper, there is a ceasefire in Gaza. But in reality, Israel continues to go after Hamas’s infrastructure, but often oversteps its aims. Most days, Israel still strikes at alleged terrorist strongholds there. Although sometimes reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health are dubious, it says that since the ceasefire started ten months ago, more than a thousand people have been killed and they aren’t just terrorists. They are mothers, they are children, they are families who are just trying in that landscape of rubble to survive. The U.N. special envoy for Gaza says the Israeli attacks have “killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on.” Given Netanyahu’s intransigent determination to fight to the end, and Hamas’s defiant rhetoric about Israel, it’s highly improbable that either side will comply with a document they haven’t even signed. Especially since when it was announced on July 30th, it gave the two sides only two weeks to get it done. Those two weeks end Thursday. Trump makes grand announcements that carry no weight. Netanyahu sticks with his original plan, first articulated after the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023, to eradicate his enemy. He is consistent. Consistently bad, but consistent. Share As a side note on American politics, whether you support Israeli policies or oppose them has become a hot-button issue in the upcoming elections. And this standoff might help the Left. Fewer Americans have backed Israel since it began its sometimes apparently indiscriminate bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Its strongest supporters today are on the far right. Netanyahu’s stubborn consistency could swing more voters to go with candidates who proactively speak out against Israel. Candidates like Abdul El-Sayed, who just won the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan. In my opinion, his criticism against Israel, charging it with genocide, goes too far, but you can bet that he and others will point to Netanyahu’s ironclad opposition to an achievable peace and make points with the electorate. Leave a comment Trump is making no points. He can’t be taken seriously any more. Not when he talks about Iran, not when he talks about Israel. These three months leading to November might not be enough time for him to catch up. If we’re lucky, he won’t. © 2026 Greg Dobbs |