Netanyahu’s Political Weakness Let Trump Humiliate Israel, Says Former Justice Minister

TEL AVIV (International Desk) — Former Israeli Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann has sharply criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, writing in the Israeli newspaper Maariv that Netanyahu’s political vulnerability gave US President Donald Trump the opportunity to humiliate both the premier and the State of Israel.
Friedmann argued that while global public opinion was largely sympathetic to Israel immediately after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, that sentiment has dramatically reversed. “What the world sees today are images of a devastated Gaza — dead and wounded children, displaced families living in tents under blazing sun or heavy rain,” he wrote, adding that friends and allies alike have turned against Israel as the war has dragged on.
On relations with Washington, Friedmann revealed that in September 2025, Israel made a failed attempt to assassinate senior Hamas leaders who were in Qatar for US-backed ceasefire and hostage negotiations. Trump reportedly demanded that Netanyahu formally apologise to Qatari leadership and provide assurances that Israel would not conduct further operations on Qatari soil — a demand Friedmann described as a profound national humiliation.
Friedmann also criticised the US-Iran framework agreement, which placed restrictions on Israeli operations against Hezbollah while sidelining Israeli interests entirely. “We have become a tradeable commodity in an international power struggle over which we have no influence,” he wrote, adding that no such bargaining at Jewish expense had been attempted since World War II.
Despite his sweeping critique, Friedmann acknowledged that “we owe Trump a great deal,” crediting him with halting the endless war in Gaza and securing the return of hostages. However, he warned that external influence over Israeli decision-making comes “at the heavy price of lost sovereignty — the sovereignty generations of Israeli youth gave their lives to establish.”
Friedmann concluded that Israel stands at a crossroads, with Netanyahu’s coalition — which includes far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both advocates of settlement expansion and annexation — pulling the country away from the values upon which it was founded. His closing question was pointed: “This is not merely a question of image — it is the fundamental question of what kind of state we want to be, and why it was established.”