For 15 years, the Israeli prime minister has proven his ability to scuttle political agreements — while never losing the United States’ backing.
By Lev Grinberg, +972 Magazine
Watching President Joe Biden clumsily debate Donald Trump on June 27, many Israelis could instantly recognize how their own prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been able to exploit the weaknesses of the aging commander-in-chief for so long.
Netanyahu has had a close relationship with his “friend Joe” for decades, going back to Biden’s days in the U.S. Senate and especially during the early years of the Barack Obama administration. According to Biden’s biographer Evan Osnos, the then-vice president served as a key mediator between Netanyahu and Obama as tensions grew between the two leaders, with Biden consistently advocating dialogue and preventing open confrontations.

The Israeli prime minister knows this all too well. And it is precisely that intimate and historical knowledge of Biden, American politics, and U.S. support for Israel that has helped Netanyahu stay in power almost uninterrupted since 2009, and even more so since October 7. With this knowledge, Netanyahu has also consistently been able to rebuff efforts in Washington to achieve its stated goal of a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine — tactics that the Israeli prime minister continues to use today to prolong the war in Gaza.
Recent Posts
SAG-AFTRA, WGA Blast Decision To Suspend Jimmy Kimmel: A ‘Type of Retaliation That Endangers Everyone’s Freedom’
September 18, 2025
Take Action Now “Our society depends on freedom of expression. Suppression of free speech and retaliation for speaking out on significant issues of…
A Statement From U.S. Jews Opposing Trump’s Attacks On Colleges And Students
September 18, 2025
Take Action Now We write, specifically, as Jewish Americans who condemn the charge of antisemitism being leveled against student activists—many of…
New Poll: Democratic Socialism Is Now Mainstream
September 17, 2025
Take Action Now A national poll from Jacobin, DSA Fund, and Data for Progress finds broad support for democratic socialist leaders and left-wing…
Gerrymandering & The War On Democracy
September 17, 2025
Take Action Now It’s one piece of a much larger democratic breakdown.By RJ Eskow, The Zero Hour Report A few days before the Charlie Kirk…