{"id":10039,"date":"2026-02-11T14:14:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/02\/11\/netanyahu-returns-to-washington-this-time-to-shape-a-deal-with-iran-not-fight-one-the-forward\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:14:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:14:54","slug":"netanyahu-returns-to-washington-this-time-to-shape-a-deal-with-iran-not-fight-one-the-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/02\/11\/netanyahu-returns-to-washington-this-time-to-shape-a-deal-with-iran-not-fight-one-the-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Netanyahu returns to Washington \u2014 this time to shape a deal with Iran, not fight one – The Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 29, 2025. <\/span> Photo by Jim WATSON \/ AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"Jacob<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Jacob Kornbluh<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 11, 2026<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

When President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House today \u2013 their 6th meeting in the U.S. in the last year \u2013 their discussion will focus on a shared commitment to confronting the Iranian nuclear threat, but the stakes are different for each of them.<\/p>\n

For Trump, a nuclear agreement could cement his legacy as a peacemaker, perhaps even earn him a long-coveted Nobel Peace Prize. For Netanyahu, a deal could bolster his political standing back home in a difficult election year.<\/p>\n

In 2015, when President Obama was on the verge of signing a nuclear deal with Iran, Netanyahu cast himself as the indispensable interpreter of the Iranian threat to Washington, as he has again. But back then, Netanyahu came to publicly oppose what he called \u201ca very bad\u201d Iran deal<\/a>, pushing back against the U.S. president. Now, he is visiting the White House with the hope of shaping U.S. policy on Iran, not challenging the president.<\/p>\n

Trump has described the first round of discussions with Iran as \u201cvery good,\u201d even as U.S. aircraft carriers and other military assets build up in the region. He has insisted that Tehran is \u201cwanting to make a deal very badly.\u201d Israel, for its part, has made clear that any agreement must go beyond limits on uranium enrichment and also address Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program and its network of regional proxies \u2013 Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis \u2013 that have been attacking Israel.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu has said he plans to present the president with Israel\u2019s approach<\/a> to the nuclear talks led by Trump\u2019s close advisers, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu is betting that intimacy equals influence. That being the leader who shows up in person \u2014 again and again \u2014 ensures Israel is not outflanked as decisions are made. Last June, that strategy appeared to pay off. Netanyahu launched a charm offensive<\/a> aimed at drawing Trump into a more active role in dismantling Iran\u2019s nuclear program. If talks fail, Trump could act again. \u201cEither we will make a deal, or we will have to do something very tough like last time,\u201d Trump told Axios<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

But the frequency of these meetings also reflects some vulnerability. It showcases a prime minister who cannot afford distance and disagreement with the White House.<\/p>\n

The domestic clock is ticking<\/h2>\n

The longest-serving Israeli leader is facing a real risk that Israel\u2019s legislature, the Knesset, will dissolve in the coming weeks if his coalition fails to resolve the explosive issue of military conscription for Haredi yeshiva students. The Haredi parties have threatened to vote against the budget ahead of the March 31 deadline \u2014 a move that would trigger elections as early as June.<\/p>\n

If Netanyahu emerges from the White House visit with rhetorical alignment or symbolic support, he could buy himself time and political oxygen.<\/p>\n

These gestures matter for Israel, where the education minister, Yoav Kisch, has formally invited Trump to attend the Israel Prize ceremony on Independence Day in Jerusalem to receive the prestigious award<\/a> for a \u201cUnique Contribution to the Jewish People.\u201d Israeli officials have also invited him to participate in the annual torch-lighting ceremony, one of the most emotionally charged<\/a> moments on the Israeli civic calendar.<\/p>\n

If Trump accepts the invitation and travels to Israel again, it would be a political gift of the highest order. For Netanyahu\u2019s supporters, that imagery could energize turnout and blunt opposition momentum. For undecided voters, it reinforces a familiar argument: Whatever Netanyahu\u2019s flaws at home, replacing him would risk destabilizing Israel\u2019s most important relationship abroad and its closest ally in any confrontation with Iran.<\/p>\n

But Trump\u2019s current position on Iran may still cross Netanyahu\u2019s red lines. And Trump has shown before that he is willing to act unilaterally, even without backing from allies.<\/p>\n

Still, he is very popular in Israel, and that benefits Netanyahu. A new survey<\/a> by the Jewish People Policy Institute showed that 73% of Israelis rate Trump as a better-than-average U.S. president for Israel\u2019s interests and 54% of Jews in Israel view Trump as one of the best presidents in U.S. history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 29, 2025. Photo by Jim WATSON \/ AFP By Jacob Kornbluh February 11, 2026 When President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House today \u2013 their 6th meeting in the U.S. in the last year \u2013 their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}