Hebrew “Maariv”: Trump, Hezbollah, ‘Haredim’ Decides on ‘Israeli’ Decision-Making

By Staff, Agencies 

Hebrew “Maariv” daily cautioned that “Israel” has ceased to function as an independent entity, arguing that the government should resign, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fear of Donald Trump now outweighs every other domestic and security crisis.

In a scathing analysis published Tuesday, “Maariv” wrote that several things would have happened by now in “Israel”: first and foremost, the government and its prime minister would have resigned and returned to their homes.

“But we are not in a normal country,” the paper said. “This is ‘Israel’, where any outlaw can do as he pleases and dictate his own equations to the state. This happens from within and from without alike.”

The newspaper described “Israel” as spiraling into chaos on multiple fronts. Ultra-Orthodox protesters dictate terms from inside, Hezbollah dictates terms from Lebanon, and US President Donald Trump dictates terms from above, it said. 

“Netanyahu's fear of Trump,” the paper asserted, “is now greater than the pressure he faces from displaced northern settlers and the public outcry over ‘Israeli’ soldiers becoming sitting ducks in Lebanon.”

It further underlined that “From chaos in the streets to the Lebanese swamp. ‘Israel’ appears as a ‘state’ where every party imposes its own equations on it.”

The report further asserted that Netanyahu's recent announcement, alongside War Minister Israel Katz, directing the military to strike in Beirut, was little more than a political maneuver. "It was a ruse from the Netanyahu school aimed at preventing the army from not attacking in Lebanon," the daily said.

It added that military leaders are terrified of presenting the professional truth to the public about what really needs to be done in Lebanon, away from political stunts like occupying Beaufort Castle as a symbolic "fortress of our existence."

According to “Maariv”, Iran seized on the announcement to declare itself sovereign in Lebanon, immediately halting talks with the United States and threatening to escalate its naval blockade by seizing ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait. 

“That was enough for US President Donald Trump to call Netanyahu and put him in a corner,” the daily mentioned, noting that “Netanyahu can now breathe a sigh of relief.”

“he has a convincing explanation for the grave security situation in the North and the military-political failure of Operation 'Roar of the Lion,' which has turned into a kitten's meow." In an unusual twist, the paper noted, the prime minister is not blaming the government's legal advisor or the Supreme Court this time. "Instead, Donald Trump is the guilty party."

Turning to the internal “Israeli” unrest, “Maariv” described ultra-Orthodox protests and their behavior as a "stain”, noting that “Israeli” soldiers are dying daily in Lebanon while reservists bear unbearable burdens. Police were accused of repeated weakness and evasion in handling ultra-Orthodox breaches of public order.