“Trump saw this as a betrayal,” Eyal Lurie-Pardes of the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera. “Trump has been very supportive of Israel but critical of Netanyahu, attacking him for [October 7] happening under his watch and as being weaker than ever.
“Trump doesn’t like to pick a losing partner,” he added.
Now, as the prospects of Republican presidential nominee Trump – who led over Biden in national polls before he dropped out of the US election this weekend – returning to the White House after November’s election increases, Netanyahu has been working hard to return to Trump’s good graces, according to analysts. The two enjoyed a close relationship during Trump’s tenure as American president, and the Israeli leader has been making overtures to rekindle their relationship.
“Netanyahu, going back to the 1980s, has been building an alliance with the Republican Party, with the right, and with Christian Evangelicals,” Zachary Lockman, professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University, told Al Jazeera. “This is who he sees as his most durable allies because the Democratic Party, he understands correctly, includes elements increasingly critical of Israel, and Biden is a relic of the past.”
The Israeli prime minister often praised Trump, describing him in 2020 as “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House”.
Trump often reciprocated the compliments. In 2020, the then-US president presented Netanyahu with a ceremonial gold key to the White House.
“It’s a key to our country and our hearts. And you’ve been an amazing leader for a long period,” Trump told Netanyahu.