Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has canceled his planned trip to the United States next week as both the US and Israeli sides do not want US President Donald Trump to meet with the PM in the White House.
On Friday, Netanyahu’s Office said the postponement was due to changes surrounding the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. However, sources in Tel Aviv affirmed that the scheduling issue was only part of the reason behind the decision.
The sources said efforts to schedule a meeting between Netanyahu and Trump during the visit have failed.
According to the same sources, the Israeli PM knows the US administration is rigged against him. He also knows why.
“The Americans are closely monitoring Netanyahu and his cabinet members, tracking their public and private statements,” they said.
In return, intelligence assessments detail an escalation of Israeli surveillance targeting US decision-makers.
Several reports in Israel said Netanyahu fears such a trip could end in humiliation in front of the cameras, similar to what Trump did with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in early 2025.
Meanwhile, US officials believe that Netanyahu is obstructing Trump's policies and plans to reach a ceasefire in the Middle East.
The US-Israeli tension was highlighted by US Vice President JD Vance who accused some members of the Israeli government of trying to influence Americans' opinions to prolong the Iran war.
In an interview, Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan that while he trusts some people within the Israeli government, there are others “who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely.”
Vance said that people within the Israeli government have been trying to shift the US away from its efforts to negotiate with Iran.
“I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation and try to derail the deal,” he said, adding there is “exact evidence” that some Israeli leaders “hate the deal.”
The Vice President also referenced a Time magazine article suggesting Israel had used funds to pay online influencers, some of whom Vance said had attacked him.
Political sources confirm that Trump has been delaying meeting with Netanyahu since the US-Iranian agreement on June 16. The President has expressed frustration over Israeli criticisms of the deal, which paves the way for a window to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli officials have strongly criticized the peace agreement, describing it as “terrible” and a disaster for Israel.
Their statements have reflected on Israeli public opinion toward the US.
Polling in Israel shows a remarkable drop in Trump's popularity, falling from 74% support to roughly 32% following his administration's negotiations and ceasefire agreements regarding Iran while 62% of Israelis believe Trump does not care about Israeli interests.
Many in Washington view these numbers as “ingratitude” and a “stab in the back.” US officials suspect Israel is escalating conflicts to evade specific promises previously made to Trump.
In several telephone conversations, Trump advised Netanyahu to “drive people behind him” as a “strong leader,” to pull Israeli troops from south Syria, Lebanon and to implement the peace deal in Gaza.
But sources noted that Netanyahu was said to have pushed back, citing Israel’s security needs. Washington came to the conclusion that Netanyahu was not willing to meet the necessary terms, including pulling troops out of Syria.
Currently, Netanyahu is relying on Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to soothe rising tensions with the US President, striving to realign Trump's support ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections.
The Israeli PM fears the US administration may pivot to support his rivals, following a five-day trip by Naftali Bennett to the US last week and reports of indirect US contacts with Gadi Eisenkot.
