https://arab.news/mghge
If there is a favorite place in the world where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loves to spend time, it is the US. Elsewhere, especially in Israel, he has perfected the role of the indignant rogue. According to Netanyahu and his supporters, he has been wronged by the legal system that indicted him for corruption; he and his family are mistreated by his political opponents and the media; and the mere idea that he should take the blame for anything that goes wrong in the country, including the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, is preposterous.
Furthermore, he is resentful at not receiving the credit he thinks he deserves for strengthening Israel's position by changing the security architecture of the Middle East. But all of this is different in the US, where he believes he has built a close relationship with President Donald Trump and his administration, as well as with certain sections of the media and the public.
Hence, Trump’s invitation to Netanyahu to visit the US for the sixth time since the former returned to the White House was eagerly accepted by the Israeli prime minister, more so as he would be able to extend his and his wife’s stay to spend New Year’s Eve in the glitzy black-tie celebration at Mar-a-Lago. Admittedly, the relationship between the two leaders seems close, but given the characters involved, there is a subtext in which they play each other to advance their own interests, while showering each other with praise. Despite this, there is a worrying lack of progress on pressing issues.
