Silent fish chose Benjamin Netanyahu to retain Wednesday, as United States President Donald Trump announced and signed the deal with Iran, a development that Israeli officials consider a strategic and political defeat for the Israeli government. The agreement comes only four months before the elections in Israel and while the Israeli Prime Minister had promised citizens a "total victory" over Tehran.
According to Axios, Netanyahu is now almost isolated on the international stage in his opposition to the agreement and his conviction that the war against Iran should have continued.
Even the United Arab Emirates, which was previously considered the harshest voice among the Gulf Arab states towards Iran, were eventually drafted with the general regional consensus in favour of the agreement.
A similar picture prevails in Washington. Netanyahu allies in Republicans and conservative media appear reluctant to openly attack an agreement bearing Trump's personal seal.
Unlike 2015, when Netanyahu had delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress against President Obama's nuclear agreement, today he does not seem to have any corresponding room for movement. Nor can he easily appear on American television networks and express directly his opposition to the deal without coming into open conflict with the American president.
Backstage discontentInstead of public complaints, Israeli officials express strong concerns in informal briefings to journalists.
At the same time, media that traditionally support Netanyahu and had advocated Trump have begun to criticize the American president and his associates.
According to the report, presenter of pro-government Israeli Channel 14 called U.S. vice president, J.D. Vance, a "bitch", while launching attacks on Trump's envoys, Steve Whitkov and Jared Kushner, accusing them of sacrificing Israeli interests for economic benefits.
Public Trump spikesDuring the G7 summit, Trump thanked Netanyahu for their co-operation in the war with Iran, but at the same time he did not hide his discomfort over certain options of the Israeli government.
"Bebe is a good man. Sometimes he gets a little more excited than he should. We have an amazing partnership. We are the great partner and that very small partner," Trump said using the name of the Israeli Prime Minister.
A few days earlier, the American president had stated to Axios that Netanyahu "has no crisis", referring to an Israeli raid on Beirut that nearly derailed the deal.
Suddenness in IsraelAccording to the report, Netanyahu was surprised when Trump announced the deal Sunday. Israeli officials even argued on Tuesday that Israel had not received the full text of the memorandum of understanding.
American official acknowledged that Netanyahu may not have seen the final text, but argued that the Israeli side never formally requested it and that the White House provided constant information throughout the negotiations.
The same official said that, despite his reservations, Netanyahu allegedly told Vance, Kushner and Whitkov that if Iran implements the nuclear concessions it has promised, then the deal could prove extremely successful.
Lebanon's thornThe biggest issue for the Israeli government seems to be Lebanon.
The memorandum provides that the truce also covers conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah, while a final agreement will require an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
A consultant to Netanyahu said Israel does not consider it bound by the Lebanon-related section of the memorandum. As he noted, Netanyahu made it clear to Trump that Israeli forces will not leave southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.
Trump himself publicly acknowledged that there is disagreement between the two sides. "We have a little disagreement about Lebanon," he said.
The White House insists that the agreement is not a "one-sided truce" and that Israel will retain the right to respond militarily in the event of Hezbollah's attack.
At the same time, American officials hope that during the next 60 days Israel and Lebanon will make progress towards a political settlement, which could lead to the withdrawal of Israeli forces regardless of talks with Iran.
Trump even reverted to his criticisms of Israeli operations in Lebanon, stating that it is unacceptable "to tear down an apartment building every time a specific target is sought".
Political blow for NetanyahuThe fact that criticism comes from a president who until recently was considered Israel's closest ally makes the situation even more difficult for Netanyahu.
As Axios notes, even US presidents with whom the Israeli Prime Minister at times had strong disagreements had not been expressed so openly and so critical of the choices of the Israeli government.