A recent, though unconfirmed, report claims that the United States is actively trying to sideline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from its crucial decision-making processes. This narrative, while not officially verified, gains traction from a clear and growing divergence between the U.S. and Israel on critical security issues.
The core of the disagreement lies in two main areas: the ongoing war with Iran and the long-term governance plan for Gaza. First, on Iran, the allies have publicly split on strategy. Israel has shown a willingness to strike Iran's energy infrastructure, a move the U.S. appears reluctant to support, preferring to target military assets while avoiding actions that could severely disrupt global energy markets. This operational difference creates a strong incentive for Washington to control the escalation ladder more tightly.
This friction came to a head following Israel's recent strike on Iran's South Pars gas field. The U.S. publicly stated it wasn't involved, creating a visible rift. This single event served as a powerful trigger for the narrative that Washington is creating distance from Netanyahu's office. When allies can't agree on something as fundamental as targeting philosophy, it's natural for the more powerful partner to centralize control to prevent unwanted escalation.
Second, and perhaps more structurally significant, is the U.S. initiative in Gaza. Washington has established a 'Board of Peace' to oversee Gaza's post-conflict governance, a move made over explicit objections from the Israeli government. This isn't just a policy disagreement; it's the creation of an institutional channel that allows the U.S. to manage Gaza policy without needing approval from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). It's a practical step that functionally marginalizes Netanyahu's direct influence on the issue.
This pattern isn't entirely new. There are historical precedents, such as the U.S. briefly withholding intelligence in the past or being forced to cultivate alternative communication channels when Netanyahu restricted official access. Ultimately, while the specific claim of a plot to 'remove' Netanyahu from the loop remains unproven, the accumulation of public disagreements and independent U.S. actions makes it a plausible hypothesis. The U.S. seems to be building a policy-making framework that can operate with or without the Israeli leader's consent.
- PMO: An abbreviation for the Prime Minister's Office, the central body that supports the administrative and policy-making functions of a country's head of government.
- Escalation Management: The process by which a state or group of states attempts to control the intensification of a conflict, preventing it from spiraling into a wider, more destructive war.
- South Pars gas field: One of the world's largest natural gas fields, located in the Persian Gulf and shared between Iran and Qatar. Strikes on such a location have significant economic and geopolitical implications.