President Donald Trump’s heavy pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn’t gone over well in some sectors of Israeli society, with some Israeli officials starting to speak out against the president.After Trump got Netanyahu to call off renewed attacks against Beirut, the right wing of Netanyahu’s coalition voiced their collective outrage, accusing Trump of interfering in Israeli affairs. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir went a step further, publicly calling on Netanyahu to ignore Trump on Lebanon.“Mr. Prime Minister, you said that a strong prime minister tells the President of the United States—’yes’ when possible, and ‘no’—when necessary. This is the time to tell our friend, President Trump—’no,'” he said in a post on X.
“Now is the time to do what is required and necessary to strike Hezbollah, to unleash the hands of our fighters, and to restore security to the north,” he added.
Ben-Gvir was the highest-ranking official to voice his anger and the only of Netanyahu’s government. Other hard-line ministers, such as Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, remained mum.
While Israel is politically fractured in many respects, the whole political spectrum is largely united around a desire to crush Iran and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is particularly seen as an existential threat to Israel, and the current moment is seen as the best chance so far to eliminate the group.
